The Defender
by Redonkgirl99
Summary: Noriko knew she wasn't the only person to be treated by Nurse Temple. In fact, she knew four others. The Devil of Hell's Kitchen, Harlem's Hero, a smartass PI, a guy with a glowing fist, and herself: ancient weapon turned vigilante. She knew these people all lived in her city, she just did not expect to be in the same room as the other four. Peter Parker/OC. Sequel to The Spider
1. As you are, as you were

The creaking floorboards were what woke her up.

Most people wouldn't have been roused by that soft sound and- even if they had- they would've brushed it off as the house settling.

But not her.

She slowly pushed herself up in an attempt to minimize the amount of groans that the old sofa made underneath her and she placed her feet on the thick, muffling carpet. Any sound her steps across the apartment could make were drowned out by a hum coming from the kitchen and she was able to move faster than she would if it was completely silent.

Although it was the middle of the night, the light from the streetlamps outside gave enough light for her to see the shadow of a figure standing at the counter. For a moment, she poised to strike, but she reminded herself the rule she'd set and forced herself to stand down. With her body still tensed, she reached out and flipped on the light.

The woman standing in her kitchen was not one she recalled ever seeing before, but she smiled at her as if they were old friends.

"Coffee?" She asked as she poured that liquid into two mugs.

"Who are you?" She replied, the unknown woman placing the pot back into the machine and turning to face her with one of the cups in her outstretched hand.

"Elektra Natchios," she said "Pleasure to meet you."

The girl looked between Elektra and the cup before accepting the offering. She didn't drink it though and instead leveled a suspicious gaze at the woman leaning against her counter nonchalantly.

"Are you going to try to kill me?"

"Why would I try to do something like that?" Elektra asked, taking a sip of the coffee before grimacing "I must say, this stuff is not my favorite. If you're ever looking for a good cup of coffee, I recommend Abrielle's. It's not too far from here and their crumb cakes are to die for."

"Why are you in my house?"

"Maybe I just wanted to meet the person I'd heard so much about," Elektra said with a sardonic twist of her lips "The Black Sky."

The girl shuffled uncomfortably and looked down at the dark liquid inside the mug before replying, her voice quiet and hesitant.

"That's not my name anymore. My name is Noriko now."

"Noriko," Elektra repeated, letting the name roll off her tongue "Law, ceremony, and order. Strong name. Good choice."

Noriko said nothing and instead looked down at where her hands were wrapped around the mug. She still wasn't entirely certain Elektra wasn't there to kill her and so her grip was perfect for throwing the coffee if needs be.

"Now what?"

Noriko looked up in surprise and found that Elektra appeared to be taking a blasé sip of her coffee, but her eyes held an intensity that she knew to be careful of.

"What do you mean?" Noriko asked, Elektra smiling slightly.

"Are you just going to sit around this apartment and wait for the Hand to find you?" She asked "That doesn't sound like the Black Sky I was told about. I would think you'd be bouncing off the walls by now."

"You would know."

Elektra's expression dropped and Noriko wondered if maybe she should've bit her tongue and not said that. She was still getting used to talking with people that weren't training her for some higher purpose. But soon enough that small smile returned to Elektra's face, only this time accompanied by a bitterness that Noriko recognized in herself.

"You can tell."

"So can you."

Elektra nodded in allowance before her eyes roamed the shabby kitchen that the pair was speaking in like it was more interesting than the conversation they were having.

"The third?"

"I don't know," Noriko replied honestly "Gone forever, maybe."

"So it's just us," Elektra said, nodding slightly "The Hand will be after us for the rest of our lives."

"And after," Noriko agreed.

"So why do you stay here?" Elektra asked "Wouldn't it be smarter to run while you still can? Not even the Black Sky can fight them all off."

"I have friends who are going to help me," Noriko replied, Elektra scoffing softly.

"You and Matthew cannot hold off an entire army by yourselves."

"What are you going to do?" Noriko asked, already knowing the answer, but wanting to hear it anyways.

"The Hand is large, but they are not fast," Elektra said with a shrug "The Black Sky can outrun them forever… more than one for even longer."

Noriko looked up with a furrowed brow as she tried to process just what Elektra was saying. But, before she could ask any question, she spoke again.

"No one would tell you what to do or who to be ever again," Elektra's voice was gentle, but with a flame behind it that scared Noriko; she'd heard it before in her own "No masters or greater good. You could be the person of your choosing."

It was tempting and she considered it for a moment. But, the moment she did was the moment she knew her answer.

"I've already chosen," she said, her voice quiet but firm "I want to be Noriko Temple from Hell's Kitchen."

Elektra smiled slightly, like she was expecting that answer, and placed the mug down on the counter.

"If you ever change your mind…" she said, giving Noriko a considering look "I think you'll be able to find me."

.

 ** _Bzzt_**

 ** _Bzzt_**

Noriko Temple's hand snaked out from under her covers and grabbed ahold of the phone that was vibrating against her bedside table. For a moment, she tried to turn off her alarm before she realized that her phone was not notifying her that it was time to wake up, but instead that she had a call. She laid her head back against her pillow and lifted the phone to her ear before speaking in a raspy voice.

"Peter?"

"Hey, Noriko. Did-did I wake you up?"

A tired smile pulled at her lips at the stuttered words of the person on the other end of the line; hearing Peter Parker's voice first thing was not something she'd ever object to. She sighed as she realized why he was calling her, though, and any comfort his voice brought was now tinged with something sour.

Noriko raised her head to take in the clock hanging on the wall opposite of her and she sighed while dropping her head back down on the pillow.

"It's okay, I need to get up anyway."

"Oh, okay, good," Peter said before there was a moment of silence "How're you?"

"I'm fine," Noriko said, her voice soft but obviously trying to stem off any further conversation about this.

"Are you sure?" Peter asked, Noriko sighing and sitting up.

"Peter, you don't have to worry about me."

"It doesn't matter if I have to, because I do," Peter replied "Besides, if I wasn't worried about you today I'd be a pretty crappy boyfriend."

There was a moment of hesitation and a soft breath before he said it, but Noriko's lips turned upwards. Those words were new, they'd only come to the conclusion to use them about a week and a half ago and every time Noriko heard them she couldn't help the feelings that flooded her chest. Some of them were to be expected, the lovey-dovey kind, but others were different. It was strange, every one of those silly romantic movies Claire had ever made her watch went on about the guy making the girl feel special, but it wasn't like that for Noriko. Peter made her feel _normal._

"I appreciate it, okay?" Noriko said genuinely "But, I'm okay. I'll be okay."

"Do you wanna…?" Peter trailed off before he spoke again "Do you wanna get coffee or something after?"

"Yeah, sure," Noriko replied softly "I'll text you when I get out."

"Sounds good."

There was a brief moment of the only sound being their breathing as both wondered what to say next.

"See you later," Noriko finally said, Peter letting out a puff of air before he replied.

"Bye."

The silence after Peter hung up allowed all of the good feelings she'd accumulated to dissipate. Noriko lowered her phone and took in the sight she'd been trying to avoid ever since she'd opened her eyes this morning.

The all-black outfit Claire had laid out for her the night before.

.

The machine made a funny rumble that warned Claire that it wouldn't be lasting much longer, but for now would obey and make her coffee. She set out two cups- one normal mug and one travel- before she leaned her back against the counter and sighed.

Today was going to be a strange day.

Claire knew she needed to focus on Noriko right now; she needed to be the support she needed during this rough time. But… damn it, there were other things happening today. Months of patience and faith were finally coming to fruition and Claire wasn't willing to give that up.

"Is that done?"

Claire looked up to see the girl she'd adopted not even a year ago standing in the kitchen. Her hair was down but not particularly styled and she shifted uncomfortably in the stiff skirt she was borrowing from Claire.

"Almost," Claire replied, trying to seem casual despite her overloaded mind.

Noriko walked over to the counter beside her and jumped up to sit on it; her black flats knocking against the under-the-counter cupboards as she swung her feet. The machine beeped and Claire turned to pour the dark liquid into the mugs.

"You okay?" She asked without looking up from her work.

"I'm fine," Noriko replied, a slight tautness that let Claire know she wasn't in the mood for entertaining these types of questions. She was quiet for a moment as she weighed her options before finally deciding she might as well try.

"You know, it's okay to not be fine," Claire offered, choosing to ignore the implicit warning in Noriko's words "You don't have to hide your emotions. You're allowed to be upset."

"I'm not upset," Noriko replied, hopping off the counter and taking the travel mug to screw on the top herself "I'm angry."

"With who?" Claire asked, the only response she got was silence, though, until her phone vibrating drew Noriko's attention.

"Deangelo's here," she said, pretending like Claire hadn't asked a question as she started to walk away "I'll see you later."

"Hey," Claire called after her, but Noriko closed the apartment door behind her without acknowledging it. For a moment, the sound of the door slamming left an uncomfortable silence in the apartment. But that spell was broken when Claire sighed. Although she knew this was a perfectly normal reaction to grief, there would always be a part of her worried that this would trigger something deeper in Noriko. Flip a switch that couldn't be undone.

Whoever thought it would end well when you mixed a teenager with vigilante bullshit was dead wrong.

Speaking of which…

Claire shot a look at the stove clock before smiling and picking her coat up off of one of the kitchen chairs. As she pulled it on, she did one last cursory look over the apartment to make sure everything was ready for their guest. But, she didn't spend long on that; she needed to get going.

She had a bus to meet.

.

Noriko had only ever been to church once in her life. It had been a Catholic church in Hell's Kitchen, where the easily identifiable Archdiocese told the mostly empty pews words of wisdom that hadn't quite fit Noriko. Afterwards, Matt had spoken familiarly with Father Lantom and although he'd sent a few curious looks her way, he hadn't pushed.

This was place was very different from that.

It was packed, first of all, and even if she'd wanted to, she couldn't pick the holy man out of the crowd. Everyone milled about as though they were pushed by some unseen force to greet each other and exchange sorrowful smiles. Two people had already stopped her and offered comfort despite the fact they didn't know her. They engaged with her openly and without reservation, which was not something Noriko had ever experienced, or even knew if she liked. In this place of worship, there was no hiding in the corner and running out the door the moment the spiritual goal was filled. They were committed to being here.

But, then again, this wasn't a church service. This was a funeral.

"Hey, I'm going to…"

Noriko looked over at Deangelo and then to the people he was gesturing to. Once she recognized them from the many days spent in her diner, she gave him a tight, small smile and nodded. That attempt at a pleasant expression dropped once Deangelo walked away to join the friends he needed right now and she took a glance at the place across the room she'd been avoiding.

Finally, Noriko straightened her back and walked across the room to come face to face with the very person she'd been trying to not think about. The person they were all here for.

Noriko was right in her suspicion that the casket would be closed; the only evidence of who was inside was a framed picture sitting on top. Even though she wasn't even seeing the body right now, a strange, nauseating feeling came over her. She'd been around death much longer than she could remember, but this one was affecting her harder than any ever before. But, it was a false equivalency, and she knew it. She'd seen more bodies in her sixteen years than most did in one hundred, but she'd personally known less people than a four year old.

She'd known him. She'd known his stupid smile after he said something he thought was charming and his favorite song to blare in his car right before he came into the diner. She'd known his favorite shirt- dark blue Adidas- and his exact lunch order to the point where she wouldn't even have to ask anymore.

She knew the person in that coffin.

She hadn't expected the words she spoke to be torn out of her, but they were low and sincere and once she'd heard them herself, she knew why this had hit her so hard. It wasn't just that she'd known him.

"I'm sorry, Jaylen."

It was that she hadn't been able to save him.

.

"Excuse me?"

Noriko turned around and had to hold back a wince that wanted to take over her expression. She'd never met her before, but she was fairly certain that she was Jaylen's sister- Danee- and the tear tracks down her cheeks helped confirm that.

"Hi," Noriko said awkwardly, unsure of what to say in the face of grief. After that encounter with Jaylen's casket, she'd been mostly standing by herself in the corner in an attempt to keep out of the sea of collective pain. Standing in it was something she'd never experienced before and would like to never again.

"Are you Noriko Temple?"

Noriko frowned, but nodded in response to the woman's wobbly question. Danee nodded slightly and reached her hand into her purse.

"I found this in… in Jay's room when I was cleaning it last night," she said, pulling out an envelope passing it to Noriko with a trembling hand "I didn't open it, but… You don't have to share, but I think it's the last thing he wrote."

Noriko opened her mouth, but no sound came out. All she could do was take in the black ink that scrawled out her name. Before she could respond, though, Danee spoke again.

"You don't have to right now, take your time, just…" She trailed off and her lower lip wobbled "Just keep us in your thoughts."

She turned suddenly as if she was embarrassed by her emotional reaction, but Noriko sighed and spoke before she could get very far.

"Wait," she called, Danee turning to face her again "I'll send it over once I'm done. I'm… I'm sorry for your loss."

Danee gave her the best smile that she could before she walked off; the crowd opening up to her like a wave of sorrow consuming a drop. Noriko watched her go before she turned her eyes down to the envelope she still clutched in her hand. For a moment, she studied the way her name had been written out- likely one of the last things Jaylen ever wrote- before she suddenly shoved it in her skirt pocket. Trying to push the pain away with that scratchy handwriting, even though she knew it wouldn't work.

.

"We all can't be your corny ass."

"Hey, I'd rather be corny than a plagiarizer."

Claire laughed softly at the way the man sitting next to her on the kitchen floor teased her before she let out a soft sigh; something that had been pent up in her chest ever since Luke was taken back to prison had released inside of her. Not even the table breaking sex had put her at ease the way the playful banter did.

"There was something I noticed about your letters," Luke said, Claire dreading that his voice took a serious turn "What you didn't say."

Claire looked down at her hands as just what had gone down in the past months flooded her thoughts. How could she explain just how drastic the changes Harlem had gone through since he was gone?

Everyone had felt the empty space when Luke Cage was incarcerated for a second time, but it hadn't remained that way for long. Someone had stepped up to the plate and became not only Harlem's protector, but Hell's Kitchen's as well. He needed to know these things if he wanted to come back and be the Hero of Harlem again.

But how could she tell Luke all this without mentioning that she was the one who sewed the stitches into the skin of that protector? It wasn't Claire's place to tell him everything, but she couldn't tell him nothing.

"Look, I know the drill," Luke said, his voice that understanding tone that always pissed Claire off a little bit with its reasonability "Man goes inside, you think there are things you can't tell him. But, whatever's going on in Harlem… I'm gonna find out."

"Look, can't we just enjoy this part a little longer?" Claire asked even though she knew he was completely right.

"I need to know."

Claire looked in Luke's eyes and sighed as she recognized that look behind them. It was the same one she saw before she found herself going along with her adopted child's reckless ideas.

"New York has gone through some changes."

Both adults startled as they heard the sound at the same time; the click of the keys in the front door before it was opened and then shut.

"I'm not looking, I'm not looking."

Claire couldn't hold back the amused smile at the repeated words Noriko uttered as she walked through the kitchen and headed towards her room. It only grew wider when she noticed the way Luke's body language had changed significantly now that she was in the room and he pulled his shirt to cover the lower half of his body.

"I just need to change," Noriko said quickly "I'll be out of here in ten minutes, sorry."

Her bedroom door shut behind her and the two adults exchanged embarrassed but amused looks for a moment, but that didn't last long for Claire as she remembered why this day was the way it was. She sighed and picked her shirt up off the ground and pulled it on.

"Hold on," she said apologetically "Just… I need to be a mom."

.

Noriko pulled her favorite t-shirt over her head before she grabbed an elastic from where she kept them on her bed post and pulled her hair into a messy ponytail. As she sat down on her bed to pull her boots on, there was a soft knock on her door.

"Come in."

Noriko looked up to see Claire poke her head in to her room and send her a small smile, which she attempted to return. Noriko got both boots on and laced up in the time she waited for Claire to speak.

"How was it?"

"Fine," Noriko replied, not terse but not exactly open either "It was fine."

"Are you-?" Noriko's expression prompted Claire to stop before she'd finished her question "Where are you going?"

"Meeting Peter," Noriko said with a casual shrug.

"Where?" Claire asked, gaining an unfathomable look from Noriko.

"Are we doing this?"

"Doing what?" Claire asked, Noriko sending her an annoyed look before she stood up and faced her head on.

"That thing where you pretend like you're a normal guardian who's worried about my safety and I pretend like I'm a normal teenager who needs protecting?" She asked, cocking her head "What'd you tell Luke?"

"Nothing," Claire answered honestly "What're _you_ going to tell Luke?"

Noriko averted her eyes before giving a halfhearted shrug in response and Claire sighed as she realized she would have to give her this talk.

"We can't keep this a secret," she said, Noriko's jaw setting "He'll find out eventually and it would be a lot better coming from us than anywhere else."

"You mean coming from me?" Noriko guessed, Claire sending her a look before her voice came out sterner than before.

"Yeah, I do."

Suddenly, any anger that might've made its way up in Claire disappeared and that was the only warning Noriko had that someone new had joined their conversation before he came into view. She sent a small smile of greeting before she spoke.

"Hi, Luke."

The righteous ex-con smiled- albeit a little uncomfortably- before he replied.

"Hey, Noriko," he said, obviously grasping for something to talk about with her "You changed your hair, it's nice."

"Thanks," Noriko said sincerely, Claire licking her lips and holding back a smile at the layer of awkwardness that was trying to smother all three of them.

"You know what, I need to-." Claire didn't even attempt to finish her excuse before walking away. Whether she told him right now or not, it was a good idea to give Noriko Temple and Luke Cage a moment to themselves.

"Thanks for the music suggestions," Noriko said tentatively after a second of uncomfortable silence "I really like a lot of it."

"I can see that," Luke said, smiling as he nodded at her shirt "Which's your favorite?"

"Ain't Nothing to Fuck With," Noriko said, Luke raising an eyebrow but smiling wider just the same.

"Don't let Claire hear you. Might say I'm a bad influence," he said, both of them chuckling at that.

It was quiet again, but not quite as awkward as before. Maybe because the uncomfortable expression that had painted Noriko's face before was replaced with a strange solemnity. After a moment, she moved across her room and grabbed the black mass of cloth that hung on the doorknob of her closet and studied it for a heavy second. Luke couldn't decipher what he was seeing in her eyes, but he didn't get more than a moment to try to figure it out before it disappeared and Noriko turned to look at him again.

"Thanks for letting me borrow this," she said, throwing it for Luke to catch.

"No problem," Luke said, sounding a little surprised but not questioning it as Noriko grabbed her wallet and shoved it into her pocket.

"I've gotta go," she said, moving to walk past the man in her doorway before she paused next to him and looked up "It's good to have you back, Luke."

"It's good to be back."

Noriko and Luke exchanged smiles that were tinged with something wistful; the product of the belief that they would always be on a different plane. The lives they led and they people they were would never quite be on the same level as each other. Just two very different people that could never quite connect.

As Luke could make out the sounds of Noriko telling Claire goodbye, he looked down at the worn piece of clothing she'd had thrown to him. He must've left it at Claire's apartment when everything went down before he'd be incarcerated again, but he honestly didn't remember. It was just a black hoodie, adorned with the same holes all his clothes were. For a moment, he tried to recall when he'd been slashed on the arm while wearing this, but he shook it off. He'd been attacked enough times in his life, no one would be surprised he couldn't remember every single one.

.

Noriko took a deep breath of air as she stepped out of the subway and into Harlem. For a moment, her feet took her towards the diner before she remembered what she was actually doing in this area. She readjusted her trajectory to head towards their usual meeting place after her shift; the one next to that really private alleyway.

She turned down the familiar street and paused for a moment. He hadn't noticed her yet, which was honestly out of the ordinary. Usually he was actively looking for her and with his enhanced senses, he usually heard her before she even turned the corner. But, he had his headphones in and looked like he was watching something on his phone, which would explain his distracted state. Whatever he was watching must've been funny, because his lips curled up into a sweet smile that Noriko was proud to know so well.

Noriko's steps now were significantly quieter as she tried to maintain his obliviousness. She managed to get right up to the bench before his eyes lifted from the screen and he broke out into a wide grin.

"Hey, Peter."

Noriko plopped down onto the bench beside her boyfriend and after a moment of hesitation, she leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek and was rewarded with his face reddening considerably. During the course of their new relationship, they'd kissed on the lips a grand total of three times, so a chaste one on the cheek was enough to set him off.

"Hi," he replied, his voice cracking slightly before he looked down to the bench "Here."

"Oh, thanks," Noriko said; no matter how many times Peter brought her coffee without her asking, she'd still be surprised "You didn't have to."

"I wanted to," Peter said bashfully with a shrug before he frowned "Aren't you cold?"

Noriko looked down at herself as she remembered that she hadn't grabbed a jacket as she'd left the apartment earlier; her mind had been too overwhelmed with thoughts of a black hoodie she'd returned to its owner.

"I'm fine," she said, half-lie half-true. Unfortunately or fortunately, Peter saw through that and started to shrug his jacket off, Noriko sighing "Peter, don't-."

"I'm hotter than you," he replied casually before Noriko raised an eyebrow and his eyes widened "I-I mean, like, my body has a-a higher-."

"I know what you meant," Noriko chuckling slightly before sighing and biting the bullet; the young woman pulling on the dark green jacket that actually fit her pretty well. When Peter sighed, Noriko furrowed her brow and sent him a look "What is it?"

"You look better in that than I do."

Real laughter bubbled up in Noriko's throat and Peter grinned as she giggled at his words. But, all laughter has to stop eventually and the quiet allowed them both to remember the day Noriko had just gone through.

"How're you?" Peter asked gently, Noriko's lip twitch slightly, but not feeling the same amount of exasperation she'd felt earlier.

"I'm fine," she said yet again, Peter's eyes flitting all over her before he spoke again, even quieter this time.

"I don't think you are."

Noriko looked over at Peter with an undiscernible expression that she held for a few moments before she replied.

"Okay, what do you think I am?"

Without a moment of hesitation, Peter spoke.

"I think you're not fine. I think you feel guilty."

Noriko licked her lips and looked away from her boyfriend to focus on the small piece of pavement across the street. Peter sighed and scooted a little bit closer to her on the bench and locking his eyes on a piece of sidewalk as well before he continued.

"We have the same job, Noriko. I know how you feel," he murmured, the quiet after he spoke giving Noriko a chance to bury her face in her hands for a moment before she lifted her head to reply with a raw voice.

"He came into the diner to talk to me. He didn't tell me, though, and I didn't push him about it. I thought…" Noriko took a moment to gather herself and spoke again "I should've pushed. I should've looked into it without him having to ask me."

"You can't blame yourself for this," Peter said softly.

"Yes I can," Noriko said with a surprising fierceness to her voice "He was _scared."_

"Well, you shouldn't," Peter countered, looking over at Noriko "Whatever happened, it's not your fault."

"Car explosion," Noriko said quickly "That's the official verdict. Unknown if it was intentional or just an accident."

"Noriko, I walked past three different memorials on the way here," Peter said "All of them were in Harlem. What's going on?"

Noriko sighed and looked around the street in the hopes she would be able to find the words to explain it to Peter. But, when she didn't, she just spilled the ones she already had.

"I'm not sure, but there's something," she confirmed "There's been seven all together."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Peter asked, Noriko's eyes glancing to him then back to the ground.

"I didn't think there was something out of the ordinary until recently," she said, her eyes completely averted from Peter as she gave her answer "And even now, I don't have any answers. Or even leads."

It was quiet for a moment as Noriko kept her eyes locked on the street instead of meeting the ones she could feel staring at her.

"You're scared."

Noriko's head snapped to look at Peter, who looked just as surprised as her. For a moment it was quiet as they both studied each other before Noriko spoke.

"I, um…" She trailed off and had to pull herself together before she spoke again "I just—I get bad vibes from this."

 _"How_ bad?" Peter asked as he thought about what Noriko dealt with on a daily basis.

"Very bad," she admitted, Peter taking a deep breath and slouching against the bench. For a brief moment, Noriko wondered if that would convince him to drop the subject and move onto something that didn't inspire true fear in her. But, no sooner did she wonder that did she reject it and so she wasn't the least bit surprised when he hopped up and held his hand out to her.

"C'mon, let's go look at the car."

.

"How're you?"

Peter looked over with his mouth slightly open; his mind had been so focused on the deaths that had alarmed Noriko, he hadn't expected her to say anything. Especially nothing like that.

"I just realized I didn't ask," Noriko added, the pair keeping their middling pace as they walked through Harlem.

"Oh, I'm fine," he offered, Noriko sending him a quick, concerned look.

"Okay, I know I'm a hypocrite for saying this, but I can tell something's up," she said, Peter clearing his throat.

"N-Nothing," he said, Noriko sending him one more look that moved him to sigh and speak again "Just, May's been a little… much lately."

"Because of a certain suit she caught you in?" Noriko guessed, Peter nodding.

"Yeah," he said before he really kicked into gear "I mean, at first she just told me I needed to stop, but now… I think she's trying to distract me. Every night she invites people over or says we should go to the movies or something."

"… She's just worried about you, Peter," Noriko offered softly "I honestly don't know what I'd do if I were in her position. She's doing her best."

"Yeah, I know," Peter agreed before sighing tiredly "But I can handle this, I know I can."

"I know you can too," Noriko agreed before frowning slightly as a thought occurred to her "Have you told May that you work with me a lot?"

Peter sent her a sideways look before he replied, which immediately made Noriko even more curious of the answer.

"Well, no. I just… If I tell her about the Black Sky, I'll end up telling her about our relationship, and then I'll have to tell her about Noriko."

"Do you not want her to know about me?" Noriko asked, Peter's eyes widening as he stopped suddenly and turned to face her.

"No, no!" He protested "That's-That's not why- I just didn't want to, you know, out you."

"Everybody in Harlem knows who I am," Noriko replied with a small smile "You can tell her, I don't mind."

It was quiet for a moment as Noriko took in the way Peter's eyes kept flashing around and when she spoke, her voice had a layer of suspicion.

"Unless, there's another reason you don't want to tell her."

Peter licked his lips as he weighed whether or not it was worth it to try to tell her something other than the truth. But, he soon realized it wouldn't matter, she'd see right through whatever lie he concocted.

"It's just… May's probably going to get a little… _wild_ when she finds out I have a girlfriend," he explained slowly "And she'll want to meet you and… You're a very restrained person and my aunt is… very enthusiastic."

"Do you think she won't like me?" Noriko asked.

"No, I think she'll like you," Peter said "I'm just not sure how you'll feel about her."

"Peter, if she's the one who raised you, the one who made you who you are, then of course I'll like her," Noriko replied, Peter smiling slightly at that "But if you don't want to tell her yet, I understand."

"I'll think about it," Peter replied with a smile that Noriko matched. For a moment, they stood silent and just looked at each other. The afternoon sun bathed the pair in golden light and although neither of them mentioned it, they both admired the way the other shined.

But, almost simultaneously, they both realized they were just staring at each other on the middle of the sidewalk and they both shook out of their stupors.

"H-How much farther?" Peter asked, Noriko humming slightly as she tried to think of anything other than her own uncomfortable feelings.

"Should be right up here."

The couple rounded the corner and any remaining awkwardness dissipated as both of them took in the makeshift memorial. Noriko swallowed hard as she realized she'd seen this burned out car pull into the diner parking lot more times than she could count.

"Wow," Peter said under his breath, taking a few steps closer to get a better look "It must've been on fire. I wonder if anyone around here saw anything. Was there an autopsy or something? I wouldn't be surprised if-."

Peter looked back to Noriko and the words he was speaking dwindled off. Noriko hadn't moved an inch from where they'd stopped when they first saw the car, but her eyes were still locked on that spot. It took Peter a moment to notice, but he soon realized she wasn't looking at the car, but the flowers resting on top.

"Hey," Peter said softly, walking back to her "Are you okay?"

Noriko tore her eyes off of the display and moved them to where Peter was looking over her with concern. It took her a moment, but when she spoke, Peter felt a deeply unsettling sensation wash over him.

"This gives me a _very_ bad feeling," Noriko said, her voice low _"All_ of this."

"Do you wanna go?" Peter offered, Noriko shaking her head after a second.

"No, I want to figure this out," she said, still scared but strong "I want to know who did this."

"Okay," Peter agreed "Well, if you ever _do_ want to go, you can just-just tell me and we can, you know, leave. But, um, right now I guess we just- _shit."_

Noriko perked up at Peter's sudden hissed word and took in the way his eyes were locked on something behind her.

"What?" She asked, her voice matching Peter's level distress.

"Misty."

.

"Seven in a handful of months, this cannot be a coincidence," Misty Knight said pacing down the Harlem street "Hell, you walk around this corner and you'll see another—Well, I'll be goddamned."

Luke Cage looked up from what was Sean Miller's car to where Misty was looking down the street; the detective wearing that amused look on her face that meant someone was about to get their ass beat. She took a few steps down the intersecting sidewalk and Luke frowned before following after, hearing her words before seeing who they were thrown at.

"Leaving so soon?"

Luke turned the corner to see a pair of people with their backs to them, both frozen still for a moment before hesitantly turning around and allowing them to see their faces.

"Hey, Misty," Noriko said, distinctly guilty as she sent sideways looks to her companion, a nervous little white kid who was bouncing on his heels "Hi, Luke."

"Hey, Noriko," Misty replied, Luke looking between the two with a concerned expression "Peter."

"H-Hi, Misty," the boy replied with a stutter, Misty smiling slightly at his wide eyes "M-Mr. Cage."

"I don't-," Luke started before Misty cut him off.

"What're you two up to?" She asked, Noriko shrugging in a forced casual way.

"Just paying our respect," she said with a jerk of her head towards the barebones of another car.

"Are you sure?" Misty asked suspiciously "Nothing else?"

 _"No,"_ Noriko said, sounding slightly upset now as she crossed her arms and her shoulder slumped "I just wanted to…"

Noriko looked down at her feet and for a brief moment, the little white boy- Peter, Misty said- looked over her expression with a frown before he turned to the two adults with concern now painting his face.

"She went to his funeral this morning."

Luke sighed slightly and exchanged a look with Misty; that explained a lot, actually. Why she'd been dressed like that when she came back to the apartment earlier; why Claire had needed to talk with her.

When he'd first seen Noriko today, he'd hardly recognized her. Kids always changed the most during a prison stint, but she'd gone through something _major_ during the time Luke was inside. She stood taller and spoke easier; she didn't seem wracked with insecurities like she had when he'd first met her.

But, right now she looked just like that nervous girl he'd met in that diner all those months ago.

"Misty," he murmured before he spoke up "You take your time, Noriko."

"No, I'm done," she said, waving her hand slightly "We'll go. See you later."

She gave Luke a poor excuse of a smile before she turned around started heading away. Luke took notice of the way Peter paused for a moment to look over her hunched form with worry plain in his eyes before he followed after her; wrapping his arm around her and letting her lean her weight on him.

"Misty, what was that?" Luke asked once they were out of earshot.

"Luke, I know she's the kid of the woman you're screwing, but she has a nasty habit of sticking her nose where it doesn't belong," Misty replied, undeterred by the way Noriko had reacted to her words "And, honestly, I blame you."

"What're you talking about?" Luke asked, Misty sending him a look.

"You inspire a lot of different things in people and some of that might be playing amateur detective in a certain teenager," she said "With the stuff she's managed to get into, you're real lucky nothing bad has happened yet."

Luke looked at the pair of teenagers still walking away- only now waiting at a crosswalk- and he sighed before returning to Misty.

"I'll talk to her about it," he said, Misty nodding in acceptance "Who's the kid?"

"Peter? Her boyfriend, probably. They're always kicking it together," Misty offered, chuckling as Luke raising an eyebrow "Wouldn't worry about him. He's from Queens and goes to that private school over there. _She's_ the bad influence; always dragging him into some mess."

Misty walked back to the car she'd been showing him, but Luke kept his eyes on the quickly disappearing couple. While he knew it was true that he'd missed a lot in those months spent in Seagate, it was still hard to reconcile his image of the Noriko he'd known and the Noriko Misty was telling him she was now. Neither of those kids seemed like the type of punks to get wrapped up in businesses they shouldn't. In fact, they seemed like the type to actively stay out of it. Misty was a suspicious person by nature- not that Luke blamed her- and maybe she was blowing this out of proportion. Luke couldn't help but feel that his theory was true as he watched Noriko loll her head onto Peter's shoulder.

Not knowing that the two teenagers where exchanging conspiratorial smiles.

.

"I thought you were going to stand me up."

Noriko smiled at the soft sound of footsteps on the rooftop and she turned to look at the familiar red and blue suit. After their ill-timed run in with Luke, they'd spent the trip back to Queens discussing different reasons these deaths could be occurring. Once they were within a block of Peter's apartment, Noriko said goodbye and returned to her district to get something to eat and prepare for tonight. The sun had long since set now and the pair had met up again, only this time it was less Noriko and Peter, and more the other names they went by.

"Sorry, May was trying to convince me to let her take me and Ned to Dave and Buster's," Peter said "I almost ditched you. Nice sweatshirt."

"I'm trying it out," Noriko said, taking a few steps closer to the brightly costumed hero "I might need to buy another hoodie. You're _sure_ he can't see us?"

"Promise," Peter reassured, still apologetic that his suit had been the one to rat Noriko out to Stark "Ned and I made sure he can't access any recordings of what I've been doing."

"Sorry," Noriko said "It just makes me uncomfortable."

"Me too," Peter replied "And it's kind of embarrassing."

Noriko chuckled softly at that and she did that funny spin across the rooftop that Peter had come accustomed to seeing her do.

"I don't really have anything," she admitted, jumping up onto the ledge and looking down seven stories "We could do it your way or we could look farther into those Harlem deaths."

"C-Can my way include you getting down?" Peter asked, his voice fast and cracking "You're making _very_ nervous."

Noriko sent back a look to him before doing a spin on the ledge and chuckling softly at the sounds Peter made.

"You could stand up here with me," she suggested "That way you could catch me."

Peter was still for a moment before he strode forward and hopped up onto the ledge beside her. He was quiet for a moment as he looked over the edge to the pavement below and when the silence was finally broken, he still stared.

"I know that I-I swing higher than this all the time and that if either of us fell, I could catch us, but…" Peter took a deep breath "This still makes me nervous."

"Makes sense," Noriko said casually "Your brain hasn't completely adapted to your body yet. Hey." Noriko pulled off her hood before lowering her mask and taking his hands in hers, which finally got him to look at her "We're fine."

Peter slipped one of his hands out of hers and pulled his own mask up to reveal his anxious, but sheepish expression.

"Sorry," he muttered, Noriko rolling her eyes.

"Don't apologize," she said, placing her free hand on his now exposed cheek and smiling when Peter unconsciously leaned into her. It was quiet for a long moment as they studied each other. They weren't bathed in the afternoon sun, like they were earlier, but in the pale light of the streetlamps they shined just as brightly. It created a very different effect on their faces, though, but produced the same outcome and they both stared at each other. Only this time, there was no one to interrupt them; instead of a busy street, they were all alone up on a rooftop.

Both teenagers leaned in closer to each other and Noriko could feel the hand wrapped around hers grow tighter as it became abundantly obvious to both of them this would be the fourth.

But, the soft expression on Peter's face suddenly altered and Noriko only saw his wide eyes for a moment before his hands grabbed ahold of her biceps and he pushed her so they both fell onto the rooftop.

"Peter, what the _f-?"_

They heard it first: car alarms, dogs barking, glass breaking, _screaming._ The sound of far off destruction reached their ears faster than it would the normal person's.

And then the shaking started.

Noriko pushed herself up to her feet despite the way the gravel underneath them was shuddering and she stumbled over to the edge of the rooftop, Peter not far behind her. Both of the teenagers watched as the lights of New York's nightlife flickered in and out, some staying dark for good, as the shaking only worsened.

"What's happening?" Peter yelled over the near deafening sound that the tremors were causing. Noriko didn't respond, though, as she watched the city she loved so dearly be throttled by some unknown entity. Not out of horror or shock of what was happening to New York, no…

Noriko didn't say anything because it felt _familiar._


	2. 44th and 11th

By the time Noriko found herself back on the street in plainclothes, the sun was casting golden light onto all of Harlem. Although by the weather it should've been a lovely morning, Noriko's boots dragged across the uneven pavement, and she wasn't the only one with that level of lethargy. Every person she passed on the street looked like they'd gone through their own Hell the night before and Noriko didn't doubt that they did.

The tremors turned out to be the best part of the night because once they stopped, the chaos set in. The people of New York had already been through so much and the shaking acted like a trigger on all of their fears. Noriko had to talk down at least three people freaking out over aliens or robots during the course of the night. And whenever there was a large-scale event like this one, the looters always came out in droves.

Noriko turned a corner and felt a tired but pleased smile pull at her lips. She wasn't sure the location Claire had texted her an hour earlier was still the right one, but one look at the large man holding a large piece of debris over his head was a good sign.

"Morning," Claire called from where she was applying butterfly bandages to a young woman's brow, doing a good show of being casual while simultaneously looking over Noriko for injuries.

"Hi," Noriko replied, leaning against the railing on the porch steps Claire was working on "You alright?"

"Of course," Claire replied, sending Noriko a look as the teenager yawned "Are you?"

Instead of verbally responding, Noriko just shrugged before she let her eyes travel from her guardian to the rest of the street. Harlem took a beating, she could tell that from the walk over, but in this area at least it was beginning to be cleaned up. Although, Noriko had a good guess why.

"Hey, Noriko," Luke said, dusting off his hands "You alright? What happened to your lip?"

Noriko's tongue unconsciously swiped across her lower lip, where a hit from a thrown bottle had split it a few hours prior. For a brief moment, she was tempted to tell the truth, but no sooner did she think that did she respond with a lie.

"I fell over when the shaking started," she said before shrugging "It's fine."

"Are you sure? Claire?" Luke asked, turning to look at the nurse. Claire looked from her boyfriend to her Noriko before giving her a second of study and shrugging.

"Yeah, it'll be okay," she said "Just be careful."

"I'll do my best," Noriko replied without a hint of irony, Claire sending her a look and then dropping it before Luke could notice.

"Where were you last night?" Luke asked as Claire stood and removed her plastic gloves, both of the women exchanging a look that lasted a millisecond before Noriko replied.

"Peter's," she said without any tell to her lie "I was there when the shaking happened and his Aunt thought it would be better if I stayed the night."

Luke accepted that answer with a nod and the group of three started to make their way down the street in the direction of the apartment. Glass crunched under their shoes as they passed by a gutted electronics store and Noriko couldn't help the uncomfortable feeling of guilt wash over her. Even though she knew it was probably a good call to focus on the center of the shaking- Hell's Kitchen- and hope that Luke or somebody handled Harlem, she couldn't help but feel like she could've done more. No matter how tired her body felt and how close to checking out her mind was, she always felt like she could've done more.

"God, this place looks rough," she muttered, the adults humming in agreement.

"At least nobody died," Luke replied.

"Thanks to you," Claire added, confirming that Noriko had made the right choice to trust that Luke could take care of Harlem "You know, most people get out of jail and they, uh, pop a beer."

"Maybe I will go get a drink," Luke replied casually "I was thinking of going by Elmore's tonight."

Both women exchanged sideways looks at that; of the places that Luke Cage would frequent, Elmore's did not seem to fit his style.

"Elmore's?" Claire pushed.

"Yeah, the bar on Douglass," Luke said, still trying to keep it casual even though it was clear that Noriko and Claire knew something was up.

"Oh, I know it," Claire said slowly "Has a reputation for a certain kind of crowd."

"That's kinda what I was hoping for."

There it was.

With everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours, Noriko hadn't given as much thought as she should have to the return of Luke Cage to Harlem. But, now that she was thinking about it, she wasn't the slightest bit surprised that he already found something to get involved with. And in that moment, Noriko forgot all the barriers that stood between her and Luke and spoke as one vigilante to another.

"No one goes to Elmore's anymore."

A sharp pinch in her side from Claire brought her back to reality and she winced as she realized how that might sound. She didn't know what Misty had already spilled to Luke about catching her and Peter doing the detective part of their jobs, but this certainly wasn't going to help her case.

"What?" Luke asked, sounding like he thought he'd misheard her, but Noriko knowing that he hadn't.

"If you're looking for criminals, Trouble and a Pair of Dice on 188th is where you're going to want to look," Noriko responded honestly once her mind supplied that there was no way out of this one. Besides, it was best if Luke knew the truth.

"Why-?" Luke started before Claire cut in.

"She comes with me to the shelter," she said with a forced nonchalant shrug "People talk."

That excuse seemed to placate Luke, who nodded, and the two women exchanged a look. Noriko's secret was still secure, for now.

.

The soft sound sizzle as a wooden spoon moved against a pan filled the Temple kitchen. But, instead of Claire casually making breakfast or Noriko focusing very hard to get it right, Luke was the one that was making the eggs while the two women sat at the island.

Claire sent a concerned look to the girl sitting beside her and gently tapped her thigh to keep her from completely dozing off. Noriko jerked slightly and even though a part of her was annoyed, she knew it would be for the best if she waited a few more hours before crashing; she didn't want to mess up her sleep schedule _that_ much.

Luke turned from the oven to shovel some of the eggs onto Claire's plate and Noriko shoveled another spoonful of her cereal into her mouth. She was never very hungry after a long patrol like that one, but she knew she needed the fuel.

"So, no animal products?" Luke asked, taking a bite of his breakfast.

"Not if I can help it," Noriko said, making a conscious effort to keep her words intelligible. Luke nodded slightly and it was quiet for a moment as the three ate after a long night.

The sound of Noriko's phone sliced through the silence and her brow furrowed while the rest of expression softened when she saw the ID.

"Hello?" Noriko said, slipping off of the stool and walking towards her room as she answered.

"Hey." The rasp to Peter's voice was very similar to the one in Noriko's "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Noriko replied softly, settling down onto the side of her bed "Tired."

"Me too," Peter said "I'm supposed to be sleeping right now, but I wanted to make sure you were okay first."

"Sweet of you," Noriko observed, Peter laughing quietly on the other end "How's Queens?"

"Only one or two looters and a couple people needing help," he said casually "I heard Hell's Kitchen was the epicenter."

"Yeah, it looks like it," Noriko confirmed "Harlem's not great either, but Luke took care of it from what I saw."

A groan from the other end of the line made Noriko frown in confusion and legitimate concern before Peter spoke.

"I can't believe I met _Luke Cage_ and all I said was 'Mr. Cage.'" Noriko laughed at his muffled voice from burying his face in his hands "God, he must think I'm an idiot or-or a delinquent if he was talking to Misty."

"Misty doesn't think you're a delinquent," Noriko reassured "She thinks _I'm_ a delinquent and that _you_ have poor taste in girlfriends."

"I have a great taste in girlfriends," Peter murmured, Noriko smiling at that "I should really go to sleep. If May catches me talking on the phone, she's going to get even more upset."

"Was it bad?" Noriko asked, thinking of her own guardian's nonchalant greeting of her this morning.

"… She cried," Peter said, pain in his voice "She stayed up all night waiting for me to come home. I feel like a horrible nephew."

"You're not a horrible nephew," Noriko comforted.

"It's just… She's done so much for me and after everything she's already been through…" Peter took a deep, wobbly sigh and Noriko bit down on her lower lip as she tried to figure out a way to help.

"Peter…" She murmured, recognizing the sounds of her boyfriend trying to conceal his sniffs and running his sleeve across his cheeks "I know this seems horrible, but just go to sleep, okay? Exhaustion makes everything seem so much more dramatic."

"Yeah, yeah, you're right," Peter said, sounding stuffed-up now "I'm being stupid."

"I didn't say that," Noriko replied quietly "Just… Call me when you wake up, we can talk about this some more if you want."

"Okay," Peter said "Thanks, Noriko."

"Talk to you later."

"Bye."

Noriko sighed once she heard the telltale silence at the end of a call. The problems Peter was going through with his Aunt weren't anything Noriko could ever remotely relate to, but she was trying her hardest to empathize. She was his girlfriend, she had to.

Her phone vibrated in her hand, but just to notify her that it was down to five percent. She plugged it in and set it down on her bedside table before laying back on her bed as she considered everything that was happening in her city.

Young men in Harlem were dying. That was the first point. She wasn't sure why or who was killing them, but there was no denying it. She had no way of confirming this, but she had the distinct impression that the reason she and Peter ran into Misty and Luke was because they were all investigating the same thing. So even the police had noticed something was up, but likely didn't have the answers if they were turning to Luke.

Noriko's mind then went to the second source of her unease; the shaking last night. Every news outlet she'd turned to said the exact same thing: a 4.6 magnitude earthquake. No aliens, no robots, just a natural seismic event.

And yet…

There was a part of her that felt something in those tremors. It was a deep, _deep_ place that she'd thought was gone, but it was there. That part of her had felt the shaking gravel underneath her and seen the way city just barely kept itself from crumbling and it _knew it._ It recognized it. It had seen it before.

.

Noriko's eyes flew open as her mind immediately took stock. Her heart was beating wildly and the sheets underneath her were slightly damp from her increased perspiration. But, they were her sheets on her bed in her room, which meant that what was causing this reaction was not actually threatening. It was what always caused her strife: nightmares.

But, usually she remembered her nightmares; they were always remnants from her time with the Hand after her rebirth. This time, though, it was gone the moment she opened her eyes and she didn't recall even a moment of what had caused this feeling of terror.

"Are you okay?"

Noriko looked over and realized that the reason she'd woken up wasn't natural; the sound of knocking had taken her out of unconsciousness.

"Yeah," she said, her breathing still a little too short "Just a bad dream."

Claire nodded but didn't drop her concerned expression. She didn't press, though, and instead just leaned against the doorway before speaking.

"You slept for over fifteen hours," she said, looking at the floor "I told Luke that you and Peter stay up late watching movies a lot."

Claire looked up and made eye contact with Noriko as she sat up and leaned her back against her headboard.

"I don't like lying to him."

"I don't either," Noriko murmured, Claire sighing in exasperation.

"Then why do you keep putting us in the position where we have to?" She asked "You need to tell him."

"How?" Noriko replied, getting more and more worked up "How do I tell him? 'Oh, Luke, by the way, I'm the Black Sky. Thai for dinner tonight?'"

"I don't know how you do this," Claire answered honestly "But I know you need to."

It was quiet for a moment as Noriko shut her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall. Both women gave themselves a moment to cool off before Claire spoke again, this time with a much calmer disposition.

"Once Luke is done showering, we're going to head out."

"Where?" Noriko's eyes glancing to the clock to confirm that it was way earlier than her guardian would usually make her start. Claire smiled a familiar tired smile before speaking.

"To visit a friend."

.

After a quick breakfast and a hot shower, Noriko was feeling much closer to normal than she had when she'd unintentionally fallen asleep almost a day earlier. She had a missed call from Peter, but a quick text saying she'd call him in a little bit put him at ease.

She sighed, though, as she realized with everything that had happened in the past two days or so, she'd neglected the human parts of her life. She needed to text Kiara back about how, while she'd never attended a family reunion in Kentucky, she sympathized. Plus, her room was a complete mess; her nose wrinkling as she grabbed the button up off the ground and snagged the skirt off the nearby chair.

But, before she threw it into the hamper, she noticed a crinkling sound that shouldn't come from a cotton skirt. Noriko reached into the pocket and withdrew an envelope that the past few days had made her completely forget.

Jaylen.

Without hesitation, Noriko tore into it and pulled out the letter; a blue tag tumbling out of the envelope as well. A strange feeling pulled at Noriko as she took in the familiar scrawl that covered the piece of notebook paper she held.

 _Noriko_

 _If you're reading this, then I'm either dead or missing, which sucks. It really, really sucks. But it ain't surprising either. If it was, I wouldn't be writing this._

 _First thing I want to say to you is sorry. I shouldn't've been harassing you as much as I did. That wasn't cool of me. I hope you can forgive a dead man, but if not, I get it. For what it's worth, I really do think you're cute._

 _Second thing is I need to ask you for two favors. One is to keep an eye on my family. We were never very well off people and I don't want any of them making the mistakes I did to get some extra cash. I'm not asking you to babysit them or nothing, just make sure none of my siblings or nephews or nieces do anything stupid._

 _The second favor is to go to the dry cleaning place in Harlem- Quality Cleaners- and pick up my stuff. There should be a tag in this envelope so you can do that. I'd do it myself, but I don't think I'm going to get the chance and I don't want to put any extra pressure on my Ma or nobody during this time._

 _Thanks for all you've done, Noriko. Not just for me, Harlem too. I lived in this city a long time before you came around and you changed it in a way I never expected. I know I'm just the kid who sat in your diner and bugged you, but I'm not dumb, and I hope whatever demons have been chasing you go away real soon. Or at least that you're strong enough to face them. I know I'm not._

 _Jaylen_

Noriko wasn't sure if her knees became weak or if the pressure on her shoulders increased, but she found herself dropping down heavily onto her bed. Her right hand still clutched the letter as her eyes looked at the words without reading them. After a minute of stillness, her left hand slowly lifted and uncurled to reveal the tag Jaylen had mentioned. There was another long moment of nothing and then her body suddenly snapped into gear: in ten seconds, she managed to shove the letter into her pocket, grab her phone and the jacket Peter had lent her, and head out the door towards the streets.

She needed to get to Harlem.

.

Quality Cleaners wasn't anything special. It looked and felt like every other dry cleaning business she'd ever been in before, which-admittedly- was not many. But, she didn't see or feel any of the warning signs. This wasn't a front, she could tell.

The woman at the front took the tag with a polite smile before disappearing into the back. It wasn't long before she returned with a garment bag.

"Already paid for," she reassured her, Noriko smiling and taking it.

With a sideways look at the woman working- who was now engrossed in a copy of People Magazine- Noriko dropped the bag onto one of the plastic chairs in the front and unzipped it. Inside was a suit jacket that Noriko vaguely recalled from that Homecoming a month ago, the one that Jaylen had ditched to help her get to Peter. She looked over it and checked the outside and inside pockets but found nothing. It was a long shot and she knew it, but she'd been hoping that maybe Jaylen had left her a message. Something to point her towards the people that had done this to him.

Noriko sighed and took a step back as she evaluated her next move. She needed to go to Jaylen's family to deliver the jacket and the letter, but then what? She had no idea who was doing this to the young men of Harlem or why.

Noriko's eyes caught on a familiar blue and she stilled before she reached forward and pulled off the matching blue tag on the hanger. One side was the exact same as the one she'd handed to the woman working, but the back was not.

 _44th and 11th_

An address.

.

Noriko clutched the tag in her pocket as she jammed the elevator button with her finger. She'd done what was necessary first and brought the jacket and letter to Jaylen's family. What she hadn't prepared for was them inviting her to stay for coffee. Usually she liked that- she liked coffee- but that…

To watch that family all read that letter and realize that Jaylen knew what was going to happen to him… It was not something Noriko ever wanted to experience again.

But, it made her realize why he'd sent her to the dry cleaners instead of just telling her in the letter. Jaylen didn't want his family to be a part of this. Whatever had happened to him was dark and scary and not something anybody wanted their loved ones to have to go through. So he hid that message for her, knowing that she'd find it and handle it, just like she always did.

As the elevator doors squeaked open, the phone in Noriko's borrowed jacket pocket vibrated and she pulled it out to reveal the caller ID she'd hoped for and dreaded.

"Hello?"

"Hey, you're up," Peter's cheerful voice said "You were right; I do feel better now that I'm not sleep deprived. How do you feel?"

"Good," Noriko replied, cursing as her voice wavered.

"Th-That doesn't _sound_ good," Peter said slowly "What's up?"

For a moment, Noriko weighed her options before going with what she knew to be the best one; the truth.

"Jaylen left me a message," she said, looking down at the tag "It was a bit roundabout, but it points to an address: 44th and 11th. It's Kitchen, right?"

There was a quiet on the other end of the line for a moment and Noriko could make out a distant clicking sound before Peter spoke again.

"Yeah, a place called Midland Circle Financial," Peter confirmed "It looks like a normal business. Think it's a front or something?"

"I'm not sure," Noriko said with half a truth "I think it has something to do with the men disappearing in Harlem."

"You're probably right," Peter said before cursing under his breath "I'd go there with you right now, but I promised Aunt May that I'd stay in tonight and watch movies. Can you wait for tomorrow?"

"Sure," Noriko said, her voice coming out surprisingly steady this time.

"Cool," Peter said sincerely "I can look into them more if you want? There has to be some dirt if they're a cover, right?"

"Yeah," Noriko lied "See if they've ever been in the news before or had any shady deals."

"Okay, cool," Peter said, Noriko speaking quickly afterwards so he couldn't derail her.

"Hey, I'm about to get on the train, so I'll call you back later, okay?" She said as she walked down the sidewalk "We can talk about your Aunt if you'd like."

"Yeah, okay, that'd be nice," Peter said before his voice became painfully genuine "You're great, you know that, right?"

"You're pretty great yourself," Noriko replied, a soft smile playing on her lips "I'll talk to you later."

"Bye."

The moment that familiar silence hit her ears, Noriko lifted her hand and a sharp whistle came from between her lips. A cab pulled to the side immediately and she slipped into the backseat with a sullen look on her face.

"Where to, Miss?"

Noriko looked out towards the apartment building that held a family whose deceased son had done everything in his power to protect, including hiding what had killed him from them.

"44th and 11th," Noriko replied confidently "Midland Circle Financial."

.

From five stories down, he could hear the sound of a gunshot. As he raced up the stairwell, every punch that delivered a higher level of strength and power than he'd ever heard in his life. And when he arrived, the quick intakes of breath from his irate client and one of the men already here when they saw each other.

But now Matt truly questioned that hearing for the second time in his life.

He heard the footsteps and shallow breaths that heralded the arrival of a new person, but he couldn't hear the most important thing of all.

The heart.

For a moment, Matt wondered if something was wrong with him, but that was quickly dismissed as he realized that he'd been in this situation before. He'd heard life without a heartbeat already, but…

This _couldn't_ be her.

She had long since regained that familiar beat that all humans shared. Matt had heard it when it was slow and steady, like when she'd been completely out after Claire gave her tranquilizers, and fast and fluttery, like when she'd described a certain Queens' native to him. But, it had never even been _close_ to stopping after it had restarted, so how was this possible?

As Matt focused on the slow steps of the unknown, he'd failed to pay attention to the building around him. If he had, he would've heard the sound of metal against metal before the sharp _ding_ sound announced a newcomer.

But, once that sound filled his ears, he heard it all again. He heard the scurrying of more people with tranquilizer guns coming down the halls. He heard the nervous breathing of the three people that stood beside him. And he heard the soft _"shit"_ that Jessica muttered under her breath as she took in the unknown that was walking towards them.

But, most importantly, he heard the heartbeat of the person who stepped out of the elevator.

It was steady, _too_ steady for a person who had just walked into this situation, and continued to hold evenly as they walked forward.

But most of all, it was _familiar._

"Noriko, _don't!"_

.

Although Matt's yell was heard, Noriko continued on her path towards the other woman at the end of the hall. In fact, there was nothing that any of the four people standing there could've done to stop her; the horrified gaze of Luke Cage or the confused one of the woman who stood to her other side didn't even slow her down.

She couldn't tell where this was coming from- the Black Sky or _the_ _Black Sky-_ but from the moment she'd stepped into this hallway, she found herself possessed with only one goal.

Stop the Black Sky.

Noriko stalked forward and Elektra moved to meet her halfway, swinging her wakizashi before attacking.

Nothing she'd ever faced- both as the weapon and the vigilante- compared to fighting with Elektra. Although she was vaguely aware of a fight happening around her, all her mind could focus on was the woman who looked at her with blank eyes. One of them would land a hit and the other would retaliate with two more and even though they'd only been fighting for a few seconds, something about this felt never-ending. Noriko realizing that the reason for that was simple: she'd never had an evenly matched opponent before.

Noriko ducked a swing from the blade and aimed a kick at Elektra's knee, only to miss and be hit with a force that sent her back through a plate of glass. She fumbled for only a moment before she pushed back up to her feet and the fight resumed in the closer quarters of this office. With a boost from the desk, Noriko flipped over what could've sliced her stomach and she landed just in time to kick Elektra in the back.

Elektra glared at her and reached down to reveal that her wakizashi was actually two stuck together. Noriko took a deep breath before diving back into the fight; now having to dance around two blades before she could even consider landing a hit on her adversary.

Noriko smacked her with a very- even she would admit it- petty backhand that sent Elektra stumbling slightly. But when she whirled around to face her, Noriko didn't see the empty vessel of the Hand, but instead the peeved expression of Elektra Natchios. In fact, it was so striking, Noriko couldn't help herself from the exclamation that left her lips.

"Elektra."

She paused.

It was only for a moment, but Noriko saw it. Elektra _paused._

Before she could even process what she'd seen, Elektra was lifting her blade again with the intention of cutting her down. Noriko found herself so put off by what she'd seen, she couldn't think of a counterstrike and instead found herself waiting for the pain to come.

 _"Drop!"_

Noriko did as the voice commanded and she watched as a glowing fist met the blade straight on and _won._ The blade exploded into shrapnel and Elektra was sent flying backwards through a wall.

Noriko looked up to see a sandy blond twenty-something offering his hand- now normal color- to her. After a moment of contemplation, she took it and allowed him to help her stand up.

"Come on," he said before stalking out of the office, Noriko lingering for just a moment longer before following behind him.

Now that Elektra was out of sight, she could fully process everything that was happening and as she stepped into the elevator, she was able to see who she was sharing it with.

Matt stood behind her left shoulder, but he was not wearing the customary horns. Instead, he wore his normal business outfit with a grey scarf covering the upper portion of his face, which told Noriko that his involvement here was not planned. But, even so, Noriko was not surprised to see him be a part of this fight. She'd always known that Matt wouldn't be able to escape this life; that he'd always come back to being Daredevil.

Luke stood to her direct left and unlike everyone else, he was focused only on _her._ Not that she could blame him, of course; Noriko couldn't be sure what he'd gone through before she'd arrived, but his hoodie was sporting a multitude of holes, which meant that he'd seen just how brutal these people could be. After being allowed to believe for months that she was just some broken kid Claire had adopted, of course he was going to have this reaction to seeing her go toe-to-toe with a weapon of the Hand.

The man who'd punched Elektra with the magic fist stood to the right of the Matt and although she hadn't been able to place it at first, she realized she'd seen his face before on the news. Danny Rand, the presumed dead kid billionaire now returned to New York. Although she had no way of knowing what had led him to having a fancy hand and battling the Hand, she had to assume it had something to do with being missing for nearly two decades.

Finally, the woman who stood to her direct right. She'd never seen her before, but a few pieces of the puzzle shifted into place. She'd seen enough brief mentions in _New York Bulletin_ articles, heard enough muttered curses, and snooped on enough whispered conversations about powered people to realize who the sour faced woman that stood next to her was. Jessica Jones was the bane of every person who'd ever mentioned her to Noriko and yet she was here, fighting the Hand with the rest of them.

Here they all stood, in one elevator, having just fought off a small army together.

And even though Noriko knew or was able to put together who each person was, she couldn't help but agree with the words that left Danny Rand's mouth.

"Who are you people?"


	3. Five Heroes Walk Into a Restaurant

The shuffle of feet and the occasional clunk of a walking stick against the hard floor echoed throughout the penthouse. Her approach was measured, like always, and as she neared her target she slowed before stopping completely and resting her hands on the top of her cane.

The silence was palpable between the two as the woman who stood in front of the window did not turn to look at the new presence. After she spent a moment longer staring out at the bright lights of New York, she turned to face her with wry smile on her face.

"You don't need to walk on eggshells around me, old friend," Alexandra said.

"You seem unsettled," Madame Gao replied.

Alexandra made a face that was something along the lines of a grimace before turning and taking a few steps closer to the bar at the side of the room. Instead of sitting at it, though, she simply placed her hands flat on top as if to steady herself before she spoke.

"I saw her today in Midland Circle," she said, lifting her head to look up at nothing "I saw the Black Sky."

"The original," Gao said, not looking for confirmation "We knew she remained in New York."

"Yes," Alexandra allowed quietly before speaking up "But knowing it and seeing it with my own eyes are two very different things… I didn't expect to see her again under the circumstances."

Gao frowned and took a few steps closer to the place where Alexandra was standing as she spoke.

"She does not fight for the Hand as you had hoped," she observed, coming to a stop before she got too close "She has not returned to us."

"It seems that she has allied herself with the Iron Fist," Alexandra admitted, both women grimacing at the blasphemy of such an association "She did not hesitate to fight her sister."

It was quiet for a moment as Gao clearly tried to figure out the way to phrase her reply and when she finally spoke, she was slow as she tried to gauge Alexandra's reaction to each word that left her lips.

"Perhaps we underestimated the influence that those around her have," she said, pausing to see if Alexandra was responding poorly before resuming when she deemed it safe "Perhaps… Perhaps it is time to use other methods to return her to us."

"What're you suggesting?" Alexandra asked, Gao licking her lips before replying.

"We have tried the passive approach for nearly a year. There are more aggressive methods that would yield more _immediate_ results… We know she is exceptionally close with the nurse that shelters her and there is always the boy."

Alexandra smiled slightly before pushing off of the table and fully turning to face Gao with amusement painting her expression as she stood tall and clasped her hands behind her back.

"My faith in the Hand's weapons has always far outmatched yours," she said before turning away from Gao to walk back in front of the large window that revealed so much and so little of the city they stood in "As I said when she first left us; the life of the average human being is not something she will be able to stomach for long. She was not built for school, or professions, or relationships. The true nature she's trying to suppress won't remain that way and when it finally breaks through, she will return to us. She will have no other choice."

.

"We're closed."

A small part of her brain registered sympathy for the man that stood behind the counter, but the dominant amount of Noriko's mind was too fried from the past twenty minutes to do anything other than catch her breath and watch the four people moving around her in this Chinese restaurant.

"We need to kill the lights," Matt said, shutting and locking the door behind them.

"How do you even know they're on?" The other woman in the group, Jessica Jones, asked in an accusatory way that let Noriko know she wasn't the only one privy to who was under that scarf.

"I said we're closed," the owner repeated, more aggressively this time as it became clear that they wouldn't be leaving without a fight.

"Look, we just need a place to stay off the streets," Danny Rand said, not even selling Noriko on letting them stay.

"Well, stay off them somewhere else. I'll call the police."

"You can't do that," Luke said, finally finding his voice after the recent past events "You'd be putting the cops in danger."

"I'll put you in danger!"

Before Noriko could step in a mediate, she looked to her left as Jessica scoffed and walked over to the decorative chest of drawers next to the window.

"I'm _done_ explaining this," she said, easily pushing it so it was vertical and moving it in front of the door. The owner exclaimed in Mandarin, but Noriko could only mutter a soft response.

"Well, they weren't lying about her."

"She is _very_ strong," Danny agreed, the two exchanging quick glances but not saying anything more. The time for introductions would come soon, it was just not right now.

"Sir, this is for your protection. We need this place to look closed," Matt said, the finger that pointed at the owner suddenly moving to gesture to Noriko "You. Sidebar."

Although she could feel the questioning gazes of the other three, Noriko didn't hesitate to join Matt by electrical box. As he flipped the switches, he hissed his words low enough that no one but the two of them could hear.

"What were you doing in Midland Circle?"

"I had a lead," Noriko replied, her voice matching his in volume "I was pretending to be a new intern when the security guard next to me got a message that something was happening in the penthouse."

Matt shook his head but when he spoke, he didn't ask her why her response was to head towards the trouble. He already knew the answer to that question; he needed the answer to one that loomed over both of their heads.

"Did you know it was the Hand?"

The very mention of the organization made Noriko's throat tighten up as uncomfortable flashes of memory invaded her mind, but nonetheless she replied with a strong voice.

"I didn't know for sure… But, I could tell that whatever was happening was bad. Ever since the shaking."

Matt nodded and for a brief moment he stood still. Hesitantly, he reached out and clasped Noriko firmly on the shoulder. Although it was an awkward gesture, Noriko couldn't help but smile slightly at the comfort that it brought her. She wasn't alone in this. Matt understood what the Hand could do and _had_ done to her. Matt was here.

"It was her."

Those words were ripped from her throat before she could even consider them, the teenager wincing at herself as Matt's brow presumably furrowed.

"Who?"

"… The woman I fought in Midland Circle," Noriko said slowly, knowing she couldn't lie about this, not to Matt "It was Elektra."

Matt's hand slackened on her shoulder, but he didn't remove it as if he was too surprised to do anything. He stood stock still for a long moment before his hand slipped off of her and his head dropped; this information too sudden and terrible to process.

"Are-Are you-?" Matt incapable of finishing the question.

"It was her," Noriko answered, her voice barely above a whisper "They… She was my equal."

Matt brought his hands up and ran them over his face despite the scarf that covered the upper portion before he spoke again.

"I should've known. I should've seen this this coming."

"We both should've," Noriko replied softly, Matt lifting his head in her general direction. It was quiet for a moment and Noriko wondered if maybe the thoughts she'd had when he'd put his hand on her shoulder were like the ones he was having right now.

"Noriko."

The deep voice behind her made Noriko shut her eyes in dread and frustration. This wouldn't end well; it _couldn't._

"You know him?" Matt asked, slightly surprised but not to the point of shock.

"He knows Noriko Temple," she replied, Matt tipping his head in a sympathetic manner before Noriko turned and faced the man that stood a few feet opposite of her.

"Hey, Luke."

Luke gave her a look that implied he couldn't believe that _those_ were the words that came out of her mouth while Noriko hesitantly took a few meandering steps closer to him. Although she didn't focus on it, she did notice how Jones shot an interested look between the pair of them.

"What're you doing here?" Luke demanded "Why were you at Midland Circle in the first place?"

"Long story," Noriko replied defensively "Had a tip."

"A-A tip?" Luke made a face before he spoke again "No, none of this, you are going _home."_

Noriko felt her jaw clench. She never did like being told what to do and even if she respected Luke, he was no exception to that rule. From behind her, she could hear a soft huff from Matt, one that let her know he knew exactly what her reaction to those words was going to be.

"You know what, Luke?" Noriko said, her annoyance replacing the sheepish nature of her tone with heat "Just because you're fucking my mom doesn't make you my dad."

Out of the corner of her eye, Noriko noticed how Danny reentered the room after calming down the owner right as she said that; the young man stilling and exchanging a lost look with Jessica.

"What? Am I supposed to be okay with you being here just because I'm not legally your guardian? It's not safe, Noriko," Luke said, also getting riled up "What would Claire think?"

"She wouldn't be surprised," Noriko said, her intensity to the point that when she took a few steps closer, Luke pulled back a little bit "You don't know me, Luke."

"I do."

Both Luke and Noriko pulled back to look over at the woman with a raspy voice, who was studying Noriko as if she was trying to confirm whatever theory she had. But, the moment their eyes met it was obvious to both of them: Jessica Jones _knew._

"What're you talking about, Jess?" Luke asked, Jessica sending him a quick look before returning her gaze to Noriko.

"Between 5'5" and 5'9", slim but athletic build, martial arts training." As Jessica spoke, she stepped closer and closer until she was standing in front of Luke and was looking down at Noriko "You're not just some teenager that got mixed up with the wrong people and ended up in Midland Circle."

Noriko almost smiled at the pause and she wondered if maybe Jessica was giving her a chance to wriggle out of this. To come up with excuses that would let her keep this secret a little bit longer. For a moment, she considered just feeding everyone lies that wouldn't make sense, but would be accepted instead of even considering the alternative. But, as she looked around the room at the four people that surrounded her, she knew that her secret had already been spilled the moment she'd stepped out of that elevator.

"Don't leave us hanging, Detective."

Jessica snorted softly and a small quirk of her lips let Noriko know that she wasn't entirely on her shit list right now. But, behind her, Noriko could see how Luke's expression was just twisting into an even more confused expression.

"Jessica," he said, his tone chastising "What are you talking about?"

"She's the Black Sky."

And there it was.

Out in the open.

"You're the Black Sky?!" Danny said from behind Noriko, his voice filled with surprise and something akin to admiration. Noriko didn't spare him a look, though, and instead continued her stare off with Jessica.

"I thought you'd be older," she said.

"I thought you'd be taller," Noriko replied, Jessica rolling her eyes and breaking away, allowing Luke to move into that space.

"I'm sorry, what is the Black Sky?" He demanded, Noriko opening her mouth to explain at least part of her identity before someone else's voice spoke.

"She's a vigilante," Danny said, bouncing up to stand next to Noriko "She beats up criminals in Hell's Kitchen. In the news _all the time._ Hi, I'm Danny Rand, it's nice to meet you."

Noriko raised an eyebrow as Danny shook her hand enthusiastically, but she didn't jerk away from him as she usually would.

"Noriko Temple," she replied, Danny smiling wider as he became privy to her real name.

"Hold on, _vigilante?"_ Luke demanded, his voice growing tighter "You're kidding. You can't- You're _fifteen!"_

There was a long moment of quiet.

"I'm…" Noriko cleared her throat "I'm sixteen."

The stunned silence from Luke was accompanied by an eye roll from Jessica, but before the former could find his voice again, an interruption came in the form of a waiter coming from the back room with a tray of food.

"Why are they bringing out food?" Jessica asked, Danny smiling.

"Part of the deal to let us stay here. Five of everything," he said before looking at one of the waiters "Is that pork?"

"Nah, that's shrimp," Matt said, deeming it alright for himself to join the conversation once it switched from secret identities to the waiters exiting the kitchen with food "This guy's got pork."

Danny made a pleased face and crossed the room to start picking at the food that was still being delivered to the table. For a moment, Noriko exchanged a long and uncomfortable look with Luke before she broke it and turned her eyes in search of anything that wouldn't weigh on her chest.

"Hey," she called after Danny "Do they serve anything vegan?"

Danny spoke in quick Mandarin to one of the waiters before picking up a potsticker with his bare hands and taking a bite. Through the food, he returned to English.

"What do you know about the Hand?" He asked, Noriko taking note of the way the other three joined them to stand by the circular table.

"I don't know, what does billionaire white boy know?" She asked, an eyebrow raising as Danny actually chuckled at that before the gravity of the situation returned to him and he sobered.

"The Hand is an ancient criminal organization."

"Define ancient," Luke said tautly, clearly not over this whole Black Sky thing but putting it aside for now.

"They live forever," Danny replied causally despite the way Luke's and Jessica's faces twisted up in disbelief.

"Wanna try that again?" Jessica said cynically.

"They live by a fanatical ideology," Matt interjected with the more grounded pillars of the Hand "And every member is willing to die to protect it."

"So, they're terrorists?" Luke asked.

"No, terrorists want the world to know what they're doing," Matt said "This is something more secret, more evil."

"Ever see one of those youtube conspiracy theory videos? The ones about some giant organization, puppet master pulling the strings on everything?" Noriko asked, lifting her hands before letting them smack back down onto the chair "Take out the triangle eye and you've got the Hand."

"And they're global," Danny added before taking another bite of his potsticker.

"So what do they do?" Luke asked.

"Like I said, everything," Noriko said, looking away as her mind ran through all the examples "You go far enough back from every drug dealer on the streets of Hell's Kitchen and it will eventually lead to the Hand."

"And the young men in Harlem?" Luke guessed, Noriko looking down at the tablecloth and nodding.

"They're in New York, but I don't know why," Danny said thoughtfully, Noriko sending him a look.

"They've always been here. The question is why are they making a move now?" She said, looking around the table "And why so loudly? It's not their style to draw this much attention."

"What do you mean by fanatical ideology?" Jessica asked.

"Gonna sound crazy," Matt said softly.

"What do they want?" Luke demanded.

"Immortality," Danny offered, not afraid of how this sounded "They want power and influence at every level across the world... And I think they want me."

"For your money?" Matt asked, Danny straightening up as if he was about to make a proclamation that would rock the world.

"I'm the Immortal Iron Fist."

There was a long moment of silence as everyone but Luke sent Danny lost looks.

"What now?" Noriko asked, knowing it was a bit pot calling kettle the black to judge him for the name, but unable to stop herself. Besides, she never acted like everyone would know what the hell she was talking about.

"Sworn protector of K'un-Lun," Danny added, sounding legitimately surprised that none of them recognized what he was saying

"What are you on? Lithium?" Jessica asked.

"So, who was the woman with the swords?" Luke interjected, having obviously heard this spiel before.

"Look, I'm not sure, but I fought her in Cambodia," Danny said in agreement.

"Yeah, and she showed up at my doorstep," Jessica added, the three of them having a moment of camaraderie as they puzzled over the woman that had come into their lives as a harbinger of death and destruction. None of them noticed the silent communication between Noriko and Matt, the latter trying to dissuade her through his tense body language that he knew she picked up. But, before he could verbally take her aside and explain that this was a bad idea, Noriko spoke.

"Her name is Elektra Natchios."

Matt lowered his face to his hands as the other three snapped to look at the girl standing at the table and even though their eyes made her uncomfortable, Noriko held strong.

"You know her?" Luke demanded, Noriko licking her lips and sighing.

"I met her once," she said before sighing louder in exasperation "But… The Hand has these people they say are weapons. They're rare, but when they come, they… They bring death and destruction to whatever the Hand sets them lose on. They're unbeatable. Elektra is one of these weapons, but she wasn't always serving the Hand. She was a normal person and the Hand took parts of her away. She doesn't remember who she was or how she got here, just that she needs to serve her masters."

"What, you're saying she was brainwashed?" Jessica said, disbelief clear in her voice and her expression.

"Yeah, basically," Noriko said, shrugging before her eyes grabbed onto the tablecloth "But I don't know if it's complete… I said her name during the fight and she paused. I think she recognized it."

"I don't think the elders at K'un-Lun ever mentioned these weapons," Danny admitted "What are they called?"

There it was. The point of no return. Once these words left her mouth there would be no going back. They would know who she was completely, _what_ she was.

"This is a mistake, I gotta-."

Noriko looked up in surprise as those words left Matt's mouth. He effectively took the focus off of both Noriko and Elektra and turned it onto himself. Whether or not this was to let Noriko catch a break or to spare himself the pain, she didn't know and she supposed it didn't matter.

"I can't be a part of this," Matt said, Luke moving in to loom over him, not knowing that really wasn't going to work on Matt for a plethora of reasons.

"If you ask me, you already are. We need to put it all on the table," Luke said, his tone vaguely threatening.

"I don't know you. I don't owe you any-." Matt started to walk away, but Luke stopping him with a hand on the shoulder.

"I don't trust you."

Suddenly, in between the two peacocking men appeared Noriko with her back to Luke.

"Can I speak to you?" She asked Matt softly, her voice raising slightly as she continued "Privately?"

Even though they could feel all eyes on them, Matt nodded and the pair retreated to a table a little bit away from the others so their conversation would go unheard.

"What are we doing, Noriko?" Matt finally hissed, the teenager sighing "This is ridiculous. We should all just go home and-."

"Walk away from it?" Noriko cut in, her voice tight but low enough that no one else can hear "You're forgetting that just because you can drop the horns and hide the suit in a closet doesn't mean everyone else can."

"Noriko…" Matt said with exasperation "The Hand-."

"I _know_ the Hand, Matthew," Noriko interrupted, her voice full of righteous anger and old pain "I know that they took _everything_ from me and even now I'm not fully away from them. I can't walk a block without preparing myself in case I get attacked; I can't go to school without thinking about how Claire is alone in the apartment; I can't meet Peter for goddamn ice cream without wondering if one day the Hand will… And it'll be _my_ fault. It'll by my fault because everyone I touch gets a target on their back."

"Noriko…" Matt said, this time softer as he did his best to comfort the teenager who was practically trembling from the release of pent up emotions "I don't think this is going to go the way you want it to."

Noriko looked up at the man who stood across from her with watery eyes. It was quiet for a moment before her lips twisted into a sad smile for half a second and then crumbled back into the faulty line that showed how close she was to falling apart.

"I'm tired, Matt. I'm really, _really_ tired."

.

Luke watched as Noriko ran her fingers through her hair and took a breath; he didn't know what she and the masked man were whispering about, but whatever it was, it was making her emotional. She sent the masked man one last look before she turned and joined the others by the table once again.

Now that they were looking at her face on, anyone could tell she was holding back tears. What was inspiring such deep emotion in her, Luke did not know. Maybe it had something to do with the death of her friend in Harlem? There was really no way of telling. Like Noriko said, he didn't know her.

It was quiet for a moment as they exchanged awkward looks, wondering what the man with the scarf would do. But, before they could get an answer to that question, the sound of a plate being pushed across the tablecloth caught everyone's attention.

"Vegetable spring rolls," Danny said awkwardly, Noriko pulling the plate to her with a smile of thanks.

The sound of boots against the carpet caught everyone's attention and they all looked up as the masked man threw the scarf to Jessica and showed them all his face.

"My name is Matthew Murdock."

Noriko's lips turned upwards into a small smile before she gently knocked his side with her elbow. What seemed to be a show of affection quickly proved to be encouragement for the next words out of his mouth.

"I'm Daredevil."

.

"You're blind."

"Yeah, well, sight is overrated."

It had been an awkward five minute conversation filled with disbelief from Luke and Danny that the blind man who'd covered his face with a scarf was the same person as the guy who jumped across rooftops in a devil suit. Noriko idly noticed that Jessica hadn't joined in on their questioning; that wasn't surprising, she'd figured out she was the Black Sky in ten minutes and she'd seemingly known for Matt for even longer.

"Look, guys, we need to come up with some kind of plan here," Luke interjected, always the voice of reason.

"The only plan is how do we get these people off our backs," Jessica said, her tone showcasing how unwilling she was to be a part of this "Ideally, in a way that doesn't incriminate us."

"Incriminate us? What are you talking about?" Danny asked, Noriko almost laughing in his face. Of course billionaire white boy hadn't even considered the legal ramifications of the past half an hour.

"None of us are on police payroll," Jessica pointed out, obviously noticing the same thing that Noriko had "What we did back there was trespassing, aggravated assault, and vigilante bullshit."

"Thanks," Noriko said, her deadpanned voice making Jessica send her a scowl.

"Guys, there's one cop I think we can trust," Luke said, Noriko's face screwing up as the man to her right spoke "I think we should bring her in."

"No, we give Misty an inch, she'll take a mile," Noriko said, thinking of the way that woman had stood between her and her job more times than she would've liked "And the next thing you know, you three are in max security, I'm in juvie, and Danny is, I don't know, in his penthouse somewhere."

"Besides, you'd be putting her in danger," Matt added in a calm voice, which was a bad sign. When Matt Murdock was the mediator, you knew that everything was _fucked._

"As will anyone who goes up against the Hand," Danny added "And as for doing this any "legal" way… Well, look, you saw what happened when we tried that."

"Is that what that was?" Luke asked sarcastically, Noriko's lip twitching as she recalled the way Danny punched his way out of Midland Circle

"It started that way." Even Danny starting to get riled up during this heated discussion "Look, I even put on a tie."

"I promise you, you cannot fight these people," Matt said, the pain in his voice reminding Noriko that he was still raw from what she'd told him earlier "Not even with whatever it is your hand can do."

"It's chi," Danny replied.

"It's not," Jessica replied, Noriko unabashedly agreeing with her harsh tone.

"What I'm saying is, going at them head on, that'll get you killed." No one else noticed, but Noriko's eyes flashed down to the plate in front of her as Matt's voice faintly wobbled on that last word. It didn't even need to be about just Elektra; Noriko doubted that anyone other than herself knew more about the pain the Hand could bring like Matt Murdock did.

"Only if we do it alone."

The table fell silent.

It was an idea Noriko was certain they'd all had in the back of their minds; she certainly had. Fighting the Hand by herself was laughable, that's why she never sought them out and instead chose to always be looking over her shoulder. But, the five of them, all special in a different way, all powerhouses…

She wouldn't pretend it was a _good_ idea. But it was an idea.

"No." Jessica spoke first with a characteristic response that Noriko had found herself expecting.

"Look, these people took everything from me," Danny said, Noriko swallowing hard as she heard the words that ricocheted around her head be spoken by someone else "I'm gonna take them down, one way or another."

"I wanted to help one kid," Luke said, also unsurprising "One family."

"I'm the first to admit when I'm in over my head, and this is way past my threshold," Jessica added.

"What are you talking about?" Danny asked incredulously, looking around the table and gesturing to each one of them "Bulletproof. Blind ninja. Badass vigilante. Whatever it is you are."

"Classy," Jessica replied to his last estimation, Noriko holding back a smile.

"I tried being a one-man army, and it failed," Danny said, slowing down as he tried to get the others to feel the gravity he was experiencing "But this… This feels like something else is at work here. The five of us show up to fight a criminal organization at the same moment? How obvious does it have to be? This cannot be an accident."

It was quiet for a moment before halting words came from the girl who sat between Matt and Luke.

"Alright, disregarding the whole 'fate' angle…" Noriko said, actually doing the air quotes "That idea… It's got potential."

Matt rolled his unseeing eyes at the also unsurprising words that came from Noriko before he leaned in and spoke.

"Okay. I know you mean well, but we're not whatever you think we are. Alright? We're five very different people, and while we might all have been trying to do some good, we need to be rational about how we proceed…"

Noriko wondered if Matt's words teetered off at the end because of the completely ridiculousness of him saying they needed to be rational, but she soon picked up on the way his head tilted and his expression changed. He was hearing something.

"Oh, you gotta be kidding me," his muttered words were the only warning Noriko got before an unfortunately familiar man turned the corner from the backroom and revealed himself to the five people at the table.

"This is one shitty excuse for a hideout."

Noriko reached out and slipped her knife off the table smoothly enough that no one except maybe Matt could've noticed and even though that man was playing it like he was comfortable with what was happening right now, he readjusted to put himself more in between the teenager and the old man who stood opposite of her.

"Stick."

.  
 _Nobody knows when it started. Centuries ago. Millennia. It doesn't matter._

 ** _I lose track myself sometimes, you will too, someday._**

 _But a long time ago, the elders of K'un-Lun gathered to study how to harness their chi. The energy of life itself._

 ** _The elders of K'un-Lun were obsessed with this idea of morality. Of some high ground they fancied themselves on._**

 _They wanted to use it to heal._

 ** _They had no vision._**

 _But there were five heretics among them, people with darker intentions._

 ** _We saw the true possibilities, the limitlessness of the power that the elders used so foolishly_**

 _They didn't want to heal. They wanted immortality. Power. To never face death. To regenerate themselves again and again._

 ** _To live forever, to never face the blackness that awaits all people, that is what we wanted. We wanted what the elders were too weak to take._**

 _The elders saw this as an aberration._

 ** _They were blind._**

 _And so, like Lucifer from heaven, the five were banished from K'un-Lun forever._

 ** _We were cast out of our beloved home for daring to do more than the elders ever could._**

 _They became the five fingers of the Hand._

 ** _We became the five fingers of the Hand_**

"I came face-to-face with a woman at Midland Circle. She said she was the Hand."

 _She's had a lot of names throughout the years. In my lifetime, Alexandra._

 ** _I have had many names, my child. For now, I am Alexandra, but soon enough that will change, as does all things._**

 _And she's led them since the beginning._

 ** _I have led the Hand to immortality since our inception._**

 _When they dispersed, they all went back to their mother countries, each finger ruling over its own domain. Growing in power and influence._

 ** _We ruled over our homelands for a time, but we soon branched out across the globe. When the New World was discovered, I personally extended the power of the Hand over it._**

"Madame Gao?"

 _She's one._

 ** _She has served close by my side._**

"She helped set up my parents' murder."

 _She set up a lot of murders._

 ** _Her power is almost matched to mine._**

 _Then there's Sowande, African warlord, gunrunner, you name it._

 ** _Sowande's influence is over that of Africa. Perhaps we will visit some time. He could always use your help._**

"The one I followed."

 _Don't follow too closely. Couple of moves, he'll slow your pulse till your heart fails._

 ** _But don't think that is because a lack of power. I'm sure Sowande could teach you a thing or two._**

 _Then there's Bakuto._

 ** _Bakuto is strong, but reckless._**

"He's dead. At least the last time I saw him."

 _Oh! Finally, some good news._

 ** _Don't let his act fool you, though; his strength is the unexpected type._**

"Who's the last one?"

 _Murakami._

 ** _You will not see much of Murakami._**

 _The guy who pulled the strings behind Nobu._

 ** _But, you do know his representative: Nobu._**

 _Maybe the most secretive, but when he comes out… an evil piece of shit._

 ** _Murakami prefers to keep to himself. I suppose he's earned it after all these years of his ruthless loyalty to the Hand._**

 _It's nothing we can't handle together._

 ** _Together we will serve life itself._**

"That's great, Stick, but why are you here? What are you expecting us to do about it? Don't bullshit me. I know when you're lying."

Matt's familiar voice coming from her left broke Noriko out of her reverie, but she couldn't shake the feeling of increasing unease. She'd known that they were dealing with the Hand from the moment she stepped out of that elevator, maybe even longer subconsciously, but something about hearing those words from Stick made it all the more real. It reminded her of what she'd heard before. She looked down at her hands and thoughtlessly pulled at her plain nails as she thought.

The entrance of Stick into the Royal Dragon had signaled the departure of Jessica; a trade that Noriko would not have made if she'd gotten to choose. Even if Jessica was mean and blunt, she wasn't Stick. She didn't treat her as something sub-human. She didn't call her it.

"Maybe you should just back off a bit," Danny said, waking Noriko up even more as the man across the table started to annoy her "In the past few minutes, he's given me more information than I ever got from K'un-Lun."

"He wants something," Noriko said, the _"dumbass"_ at the end of that statement going unsaid "Something that will put people in danger."

"Yeah, you keeping saying that about him," Danny said, getting on Noriko's last nerve.

"But you just don't seem to be listening."

"I've lost plenty in this war," Danny said, his voice tight "Don't talk down to me like I don't understand."

"Oh, did they kill your parents?" Noriko stuck her lower lip out in an exaggerated pout and her next words came out in a baby talk "Join the club."

"What did you just say?" Danny replied, now legitimately riled as he hopped up. Noriko didn't recoil though and instead just rolled her eyes, which seemed to set him off more.

"Danny, calm down," Luke interjected, sending a look to his left to tell Noriko to back off.

"You calm down, Luke," Danny hissed, glaring at the two people that sat opposite the table of him.

"You don't get second chances with these people, alright?" Matt interjecting, standing up as well as he got mad on Noriko's behalf "If you're not careful, the next thing you know, you're dead. Or worse, you're holding the people you love the most in the world and- you get the privilege of watching them die."

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence as the others absorbed what Matt had said and it wasn't until Noriko stuck her foot out and knocked her boot against his shoe did he speak again.

"Alright, maybe this city is at stake," he said, his voice slower now "Maybe this fight is important. I get that. I'm just saying; imagine knowing for the rest of your life, you only made it worse by getting involved."

It was quiet again for a long moment as the three sitting at the table and the one standing considered Matt's words. The rawness showed anyone who heard it that what he was speaking about came from personal experience. A pain that might fill their own voices if they pushed on.

Suddenly, Noriko hopped out of her chair and stood next to Matt; grabbing his hand and whispering something that only he and Stick could hear.

 _"You didn't make it worse for me."_

.

As Danny hustled the owner and the waiters into the back room, Noriko stood beside Matt at the front window. While Matt and Stick had finally spoken privately, they'd both heard something from outside and called the others up. Noriko peeked through the blinds, trying to get a better look at the white van that idled across the street.

"The Hand?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

"It's hard to tell," Matt replied.

"How'd they find us?" Luke asked.

"It was a matter of time," Stick said simply.

What's going on inside?" Noriko asked, still looking out the window despite the fact she saw nothing.

"Couple of guns, fully loaded," Matt said, continuing to listen intently.

"How about the woman with the swords?" Luke asked.

"Elektra," Noriko expanded, Matt shaking his head slightly as he tried to mask the pain he felt when he heard that name.

"I don't know," he admitted, not surprising Noriko in the slightest "I can't-I can't tell."

"Well, I'll be goddamned."

At first, Noriko didn't even register Stick's words; just more ramblings from a man she did not care for. But then she became aware of something else. A sixth presence in the room.

"This wouldn't be my first choice, but I am a sucker for fortune cookies."

Matt's head tipped to the side as the girl that had been standing by his side moved back. For as long as he'd known Noriko, he'd put himself between her and danger a fair amount of times- not because he thought she couldn't handle herself, but because he didn't want her to have to. But, in all that time, she'd never put herself behind him.

"You know, I thought it would be a good idea if we all talked this over like adults," Alexandra said, her eyes flickering quickly to where Matt reached back and put his hand against Noriko's reassuringly before her eyes returned to the room as a whole.

"What do you want?" Stick demanded, the woman smiling in response as she stood.

"You surprised me, Stick," she admitted "You've become so resourceful in your old age."

"What have you become in yours?"

"Determined," Alexandra replied, turning her eyes onto her intended prey "Mr. Rand, I'm sorry your exit from our meeting was so abrupt."

"You tried to kill us," he replied simply.

"Oh, them maybe," she said, gesturing to the others in the room "Not you. My organization has always had a great deal of respect for the protector of K'un-Lun."

"Your respect means nothing to me. My only purpose is to take you down."

"Something you've repeatedly failed to do," Alexandra pointed out as she put her arm around Danny "Perhaps it's time to consider some alternatives."

"There are no alternatives," Danny said, steadfast to the point of admiration.

"Oh, darling, there are always alternatives," she replied as if she was some aunt at a party "That's what makes life interesting."

"Cut the shit, Alexandra," Stick interrupted, his voice harder than Noriko had ever heard it and she'd heard him advocate for her murder "What do you want?"

"The same thing I've always wanted," Alexandra said simply, her eyes fixing in on the girl who was trying to make herself even smaller behind Matt "To bring light into the dark. To bring life where there is death."

"For all your talk of life, you sure kill a lot of people." Noriko didn't know if Luke had noticed how Alexandra was focusing on her and deliberately spoke to get her attention or had just spoken his mind, but it had taken the weight of Noriko and she now found herself able to breathe again.

"I don't think we've been properly introduced," Alexandra said, Luke's expression not changing for a second from his stoic intimidation.

"Let's keep it that way."

"I can see you've formed a kind of bond here," Alexandra said to what seemed like no one in particular "And while that might give you some comfort, I promise you, it's temporary. They will disappoint you."

Then it became quite clear who that sentence was directed towards.

Matt attempted to shove Noriko back behind him even more, but Alexandra's eyes stayed set on the small girl who stood opposite of her. In fact, she didn't even seem to notice Matt as she took a few steps forward and looked at Noriko with eyes filled with a tenderness that made their skin crawl.

"Hello again," Alexandra said softly "I've missed you, my child."

Those words- those _familiar_ words—set something off in Noriko. All at once, the horrible feelings that had filled her stomach and mind disappeared and despite the way Matt discouraged her, she stepped out from behind him and closer to Alexandra.

"Noriko now, yes?" She asked, nodding slightly as she took a few small steps closer to Noriko "That's a good choice. That name holds power."

Noriko didn't say anything, but allowed Alexandra to walk right up to her without pulling away or saying anything. The woman who stood so much taller than the teenager smiled and she reached out slowly-as not to spook her- and put her hands on her arms.

"I'm sorry for how we drove you away," Alexandra said simply, reaching up to push a strand of Noriko's hair behind her ear "I should've realized… You are not what we expected, I won't deny that. But, what you are is far more than any that came before you. You deserve more than what we tried to force you into."

Matt took half a step as if he wanted to come between the two women and stop what was happening, but the less-than-a-whisper words from the man across the room made him still.

 _"Matty, don't."_

"We are an ancient organization that has remained the same in our basic structure since the very beginning," Alexandra said "But what are rules without their exceptions? You are not suited for the dirty work that I had expected. No, you belong at the same table as I and the others. You're place is with us; leading the Hand to our goal."

"You want me to be a leader of the Hand?" Noriko spoke for the first time since Alexandra entered and revealed how raw her voice was.

"Yes," Alexandra said with a smile "With your advisement and ruthless power… No one will ever challenge us again."

"My advisement," Noriko's words were soft and she looked down at her boots before she spoke again in an equally quiet voice "Would you like to hear my advice right now?"

"I'd like to hear it whenever you have it," Alexandra said, Noriko raising her head and looking her in the eyes.

"Find a good church."

The breathing of the people that stood in the Royal Dragon stuttered and behind Noriko, Matt's lip curled upwards.

"When I escaped from you, I decided that I wouldn't kill anymore... But what are rules without their exceptions?" Noriko said, her eyes ablaze as her voice stayed raw, but now filled with the power that Alexandra had just praised "You were right, I am more than what you bargained for _._ And I am going to tear the Hand down until there is nothing left. I'm going to _burn it all to the ground."_

Noriko pushed Alexandra's hands off of her arms and took a few steps back, not to stand beside Matt, but to stand beside _Danny._

"Find a good church," Noriko repeated "But I don't think even God can save you."

Alexandra said nothing, maybe she was too horrified or shocked to respond, but the man that Noriko had chosen to align herself—the man that should be her natural enemy—did speak.

"You need to leave," Danny said, his face stone cold to the point that anyone could forget how cheerful it could be "Now."

"Maybe I thought too much of you," Alexandra said, finally finding her voice "The only language you speak is violence."

The door to the restaurant was kicked down and through it came an uncomfortable mirror image for Noriko.

Elektra.

"Go on, my child," Alexandra said as she walked out of the room, repeating the words to Elektra she'd said so often to Noriko "Serve life itself."

Noriko readied herself as those around her did the same; a fight with a Black Sky would never be easy, no matter the amount that fought opposite. As she straightened her back and raised her fists, she listened without ever taking her eyes off of Elektra as Stick unsheathed his sword.

Suddenly, the window that Elektra stood in front of seemed to explode _._ Glass shattered and flew everywhere as Elektra was hit by a car and fell to the ground. For one moment, Noriko wondered if she'd just witnessed the freakiest of accidents when a familiar face came around the side of the SUV and into the restaurant.

"Who missed me?" Jessica asked, Noriko unable to restrain her smile. Although she'd never admit it, seeing Jessica Jones again made everything better, even after the horrible fifteen minutes she'd just had.

Noriko turned back to Elektra, who had stood back up and now seemed even angrier. But, that didn't matter, and neither did the van full of people that would undoubtedly attack them. In fact, Noriko felt like she could handle whatever the world could throw at her.

She was the Black Sky.

She could do anything.

.

May picked up the bowl that had previously held popcorn off the coffee table and headed into the kitchen. Even though the movie was halfway through, she didn't feel the need to stay too focused on it. She'd seen this one more than half a dozen times since it had come out and had it going on in the background even more than that. It wasn't that she particularly _loved_ this movie- it was enjoyable enough- it was just that…

May peeked back into the living room at the bundle of blankets on the couch. If you really looked, you could see the brown tuft of hair that belonged to her nephew. She smiled to herself as she walked over to the fridge to grab a can of sparkling water for herself before she returned to the living room.

"Peter, I-." May paused, her heart sinking at the sight.

Peter was sleeping.

Most guardians of teenagers would be ecstatic to see that they were sleeping, but not May Parker. If he was sleeping at a time like this- during _Force Awakens—_ that meant he was tired. And when Peter was tired, all she could think about was…

She plopped down on the couch with a stricken expression. May hated to think about that. She would pretend it wasn't happening if she could. But she couldn't ignore it; she was guardian, for Christ sake, she needed to keep him away from danger!

Without warning, a banging sound filled the apartment and made her jump. It was so loud, that Peter jerked out of his sleep and sent her a lost look that filled her heart with both love and pain.

"Someone's at the door," she reassured him, Peter nodding and laying his head back down with his eyes shut. May stood and walked over to the door; peering through the peephole and frowning at the sight that greeted her. She unchained the door and opened it, only to recoil as she realized she hadn't seen _everything_ through that peephole.

"Is Peter here?"

"Y-Yes," she said, her eyes running over the girl that stood at her door "Are-Are you _okay?"_

The girl winced slightly as she seemed to realize her own appearance. Her brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, but huge strands were escaping it to frame her slightly grimy face that held dark eyes that darted around like she expected someone to jump out at her at any moment. But most startling of all were her clothes. There were dark stains on the familiar jacket that she wore, the type of stains that made May's face turn slightly green.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, brushing away her concerns "Is Peter here?"

"I-I-."

"Noriko?"

May looked back at her sleepy nephew with wide eyes; it would seem that he knew this half-crazed looking girl that was standing outside their door. And, going off the way the girl's expression softened when she saw Peter, she knew him _really_ well.

"Peter…" She said gently before her expression dropped "I did something really stupid."


	4. I(ro)nfighting

The sound of the front door opening pulled Claire out of her light sleep. She'd drifted off on the couch waiting for any one of the people she lived with to come home, but now, as she watched Luke hurry in with a manic look in his eyes, she wondered if maybe she'd been better off alone.

"Claire, I need you to get dressed," Luke said quickly, the woman in question sitting up with confusion painting her expression.

"What's going on?"

"Is your mom still here?" Luke asked, neglecting to answer the question she'd thought was more than valid.

"No, she's in Jersey with my tía," Claire replied, sitting up on the couch, still exuding sleepiness and worry.

"Okay, we need to go now," Luke said "Danny and Colleen are downstairs keeping an eye out for us."

Claire ran her fingers through her hair as she absorbed that last piece of information. Was she surprised that Luke had managed to get in over his head with something? No. But, she had not been expecting to hear that he had thrown in his lots with Danny, not after how they'd responded to each other earlier.

"Keeping an eye out?" She prompted him as she stood.

"I'll explain everything in the car," Luke said, finally giving a semblance of clarification. But, it was too late for that; Claire had been in this game long enough to know what was going on.

"You took the fight to the Hand. It went well at first, but now we're all in danger." Once Luke nodded in confirmation, Claire sighed "I hate being right all of the time. I'll call Noriko."

"No need," Luke said, something tight in his voice as he said that "She's meeting us there."

Claire frowned as she grabbed her cardigan; his tone made it obvious something was going on. What, she didn't know. But, before she could push further, Luke spoke again with that same attitude.

"So, were you planning on ever telling me that the kid you adopted is some sort of secret vigilante?"

As if she'd lost all control over herself, a soft but meaningful expletive left Claire's lips before she turned to face Luke with wide eyes. The two adults exchanged a long moment of silence as Claire searched desperately for anything to say in response to that; anything that might get her out of the deep end. Finally, she replied with halting words.

"It wasn't my place to tell."

Luke nodded as if he was expecting an excuse like that, but it clearly didn't put him any more at rest with the truth that had come out only a few hours earlier. Claire, however, had her mind running a mile a minute on everything that this implied; a realization hitting her that Noriko was now a part of what Luke, Danny, and Colleen were facing.

"Is she okay?" Claire demanded, remembering how she'd reacted the last time she'd come face-to-face with a member of the Hand.

"You can see for yourself, okay?" Luke said, gentler now that he saw that Claire's worry was genuine "We need to go now."

Claire nodded and followed him out of the apartment, her brow furrowed as she locked the door behind them.

"Where is she?" She asked as Luke hit the elevator button. He shrugged slightly before giving Claire the answer that Noriko had given him.

"Doing something she has to, even though she doesn't want to."

.

The stillness that filled the apartment was like nothing the inhabitants had ever experienced. And all three of them lived through horribly awkward experiences almost on the daily, so that meant that whatever was happening here was bigger than just a strange introduction or an uncomfortable silence. This ran deeper and they could all tell, even the ones who didn't have all of the information.

"What-?" May's beginning of a question even she didn't know how to end was cut off by the stronger voice of her nephew.

"What's going on?" His voice contained a quality the May had never heard from before. It was urgent but not completely panicking; he knew something was wrong, she could tell that much, but he wasn't freaking out about it like he usually did.

"I went to Midland Circle," the girl who Peter had called Noriko said, her voice tinged with a Japanese accent that May hadn't noticed until now; her focus had been on her rough appearance and strange actions "We need to go."

"Okay," Peter said, accepting what she said without question "Let me get changed and-."

"No," Noriko interrupted, a hint of desperation entering her voice "Not like that. We need to go to Harlem Police Department; Misty is going to keep an eye on you two."

"Misty?!" Peter said, sounding shocked to hear the name of a woman that May didn't even know "What does Misty have to do with all of this? What happened, Luna?"

May found her jaw growing slack as something clicked in her mind. Peter talked in his sleep; he had ever since he was little. It was never a problem because he never talked that loudly, so even if he'd done it in the same room as her, he wouldn't have woken her up. But, ever since Peter had started… Well, ever since Peter had started staying up later and being sleepier in the day, he had a tendency to fall asleep on the couch while May was still awake. That meant she was privy to some of the things he said in his sleep. Usually it was barely intelligible, but sometimes she could clearly hear things; he'd once recited all of the noble gasses.

But recently, May had heard him mutter the same word in his sleep a lot and it was always accompanied by the same soft sigh and upturn of his lips.

 _"Luna."_

Of course, May had just assumed that was just some girl at his school or that he'd developed a sudden crush on Luna Lovegood. She hadn't asked him about it; Peter didn't need her prying into every part of his life. He'd tell her when he was ready or he'd eventually get over it. She'd understood.

But she didn't understand now.

Because this girl- this girl standing at her door—was _not_ a girl from school. Sure, May didn't know that for certain, of course, but she could tell just by looking at her. This girl- and her connection to Peter- was not _normal._

"Listen, I'll explain everything, okay?" Noriko said, pulling May back into the real world "But we need to go _right now."_

May looked back at her nephew— half expecting him to continue questioning her on what the hell was going on right now—and found that, while his expressions still held confusion, he was _nodding._

"Okay."

All at once, everything in May bubbled over and she found herself taking the stance Peter _should_ be.

"No, no, not okay," she said, knowing that her voice was edging on hysteric, but not caring " _What the hell is going on?"_

Noriko winced and the attitude she'd taken when speaking with Peter softened into something more cautious; her hands going up as if she was trying to show May that she wasn't going to try anything. That she was there as a friend, not as an aggressor.

"Mrs. Parker," she said, her tone very different from the one she'd had with Peter "I know that this must seem… absolutely _insane._ But, we need to leave right now and get you and Peter somewhere…"

At the end, her words just sort of petered out as her attention was pulled by something down the hallway. Her mouth suddenly snapped shut and her jaw clenched; an expression May had never seen in her life taking over her face.

"Hold on," she said before disappearing from the doorway. Peter hurried out into the hallway with May on his heels, both freezing as they realized what had caught Noriko's eyes.

At the end of the hall stood a man dressed in all black, _staring_ at the three people opposite of him. On any other day, they could've walked right passed him on the sidewalk, but today, under these circumstances… There was something _off._

"The Black Sky," he said, his Japanese accent far more pronounced than that of Noriko's "Yūmeina buki. Dono yōna shitsubō."

"Damaru."

And then, in an instant, they were no longer standing a few feet away from each other and instead were at each other's throats. Their movements were often too quick for either of the bystanders to see or understand; both seeming to anticipate the others' moves five steps ahead. For a second, both Parkers stood shell-shocked at what they were witnessing, but when the unknown man pulled out a knife, Peter stepped forward as if he was going to get involved. In that moment, even though all May could really process were the quick movements and harsh blows, she reached out and grabbed her nephew's wrist with all her strength. Peter could've easily broken out of her grip, but he stopped at the resistance and that was enough time for Noriko to grab the man's arm and launch him across the hallway.

At first, it didn't register, but the sound of shattering glass made sense once May was clearly able to see the hole in the window Noriko was leaning out of. She straightened up and turned to face the Parkers with her hair even wilder than before, only now a quality in her eyes seemed to match.

"Can we go now?"

.

"Noriko, you have to tell us what's going on."

Noriko let a deep sigh out through her nose as her mind cursed Peter and his reasonability in this moment. Personally, she would've been perfectly happy to drive to Harlem in complete silence, but what Peter said was true. She'd dragged them out of their home in the middle of the night because of a threat she'd created. They deserved to know what was happening.

"That man back there," she said slowly, trying to figure out how to explain this in a way Peter would understand "His name is Murakami… He's one of the five fingers of the Hand."

Noriko looked over to see Peter had poked his head between the two front seats to speak to her more directly. Even though she only looked for a second before returning her eyes to the road, she took note of the mess of emotions in Peter's eyes. All of the expected ones, like fear and concern, but also ones she didn't recognize. Noriko found herself once again cursing the Hand for keeping her from having the socialization that would let her understand Peter completely.

"Why are they after you now?" Peter asked.

"I went to Midland Circle," Noriko said, repeating from earlier "They're behind _everything._ The deaths in Harlem, the shaking, it was all them. And they know we know."

"Who's we?" Peter asked, Noriko licking her lips before answering slowly.

"I ran into some people at Midland Circle, so we're kind of in this together now," she said, sending him quick looks "Luke, Akuma-san, and two other people you wouldn't really know."

"Wait, you just _ran_ into Luke and Daredevil?" Peter sounded incredulous now, Noriko trying to figure out why his voice was tightening like that "A complete coincidence?"

"Daredevil?"

The two teenagers fell silent at the cracking voice from the woman sat in the seat next to Peter's. While it was true that her lack of memory and the way she was raised after that caused Noriko to have trouble understanding social cues, even _she_ could see what was about to happen.

"You know _Daredevil?!"_

Peter sent Noriko a lost look as his Aunt finally blew, the latter only able to provide a shrug. Peter sat back to face May, who was staring at him with a crazed look in her eyes as she left the quiet shock behind in favor of shaking anger.

"… No?" Peter offered, his voice high pitched and unconvincing, even though that was entirely true.

 _"What the_ _fuck is going on?!"_ May demanded, her arms flailing out as she spoke.

"May," Peter said quietly, trying to get his aunt to calm down to no avail.

" _Who the fuck was that in our apartment building?!"_

"May."

 _"Who the fuck is that?!"_

"I'm the Black Sky."

Silence filled the car at the four simple words from the girl driving. Maybe May hadn't expected her to speak or for her to give her a straight answer, but that statement had effectively quieted her.

Noriko sighed and ran a hand through her hair; this is what she'd dreaded when Sowande had threatened their loved ones. Either they left May behind and risked her being used as a bargaining chip, or she came with them and Noriko revealed her true self in a manner worse than anything she'd ever imagined.

"My real name is Noriko Temple," she finally said, deciding it was the best to start at the beginning "I'm a vigilante from Hell's Kitchen and your nephew and I sometimes work together."

Peter found that even though he tried, he couldn't quite meet May's lost eyes as Noriko slowly started to lay it all out.

"But, what's happening right now isn't his fault. He had nothing to do with it. These are my problems and I'm sorry that I got you involved in this," she said, her words obviously labored as she kept her eyes on the road "But, right now I need you to trust Peter. Because Peter trusts me and I am saying that you two need to go somewhere safe because the Hand… These people will kill you without a thought."

May looked over at Peter, who could only nod slightly in confirmation before looking back down at the car upholstery, and she buried her face in her hands. When no more words were spoken, Noriko took that as wordless consent to what was happening right now and she continued on, finally getting what she wanted: a completely silent drive to Harlem.

.

"Well, look who it is."

Noriko managed a pained smile as she slowed her steps to stand a few feet opposite Misty; her stance widening as if she was trying to use her small frame to block the two Parkers from her view.

"Is Claire here yet?" She asked, Misty raising her eyebrows at her polite but no nonsense tone before gesturing down the hall.

"Break room on the left," she said, giving all three of the people who passed her appraising looks before she moved on. Noriko paid her no attention though; her mind was now completely focused on one thing.

"Noriko," Claire said, standing up from the plastic seat. Without even pausing, Noriko crossed the room and wrapped her arms around Claire; the flash of surprise in her eyes only lasting for a split second before she returned the embrace so rarely given. When they pulled apart, Claire was able to see exactly what was going on inside of Noriko's mind, but only for a moment. Almost immediately afterwards, the façade returned and she spoke softly.

"Peter's Aunt is here, can you help?" She asked, Claire's eyes flashing back at the lost looking woman before she returned to Noriko.

"How much does she know?" She asked, agreeing to the request and moving on to the practical side of things.

"Peter, Me, barebones on the Hand," Noriko said before sighing "Murakami showed up. I can't imagine that had a positive impact."

"Are you okay?" Claire asked, looking over her kid with nurse's eyes.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Noriko said, _clearly_ lying when it came to that second part "But, I've gotta go."

"Please try to be careful," Claire said, knowing it was a losing battle when Noriko smiled that painfully crooked grin.

"You know me."

But, when Noriko turned to leave, she found her path blocked.

"Can we talk?" Peter asked.

.

"Did you really just run into Luke Cage and Daredevil?"

Noriko frowned as she tried to grasp where this question was coming from, but she nodded in confirmation in the hopes that would clear up any issues Peter had. But, instead of doing that, he kept giving her that funny look. The same look he'd been giving her ever since he'd pulled her away from the others and to an empty hallway.

"Because I haven't done the math on that, but it seems pretty unlikely."

Noriko tipped her head as she studied him; trying to figure out what was going on. When she opened her mouth this time, it wasn't to answer his unspoken question, but to make a statement.

"You're mad at me."

Her words weren't an observation, but more of an educated guess. She couldn't quite figure out why Peter was angry, but she could read his displeased expression and his upset eyes to tell that she'd done something to make him this way. She just had to figure out what.

"Why did you go to Midland Circle without me?" Peter finally asked, his voice lower now. He wasn't mad anymore, or, at least, that wasn't the most powerful emotion. Noriko felt something tighten inside of her at the hurt in his voice and she felt her fingers twisting together.

"I…" She started, but found that no words came to mind that weren't entirely inadequate. Noriko dropped her eyes to the floor and took a deep breath as she tried to figure out how to say this in a way Peter would understand.

"I think I knew it was the Hand," she finally managed, not looking up from the ugly carpet "The way I felt about the deaths in Harlem and the shaking… A part of me knew what was happening. A part of me _always_ knew this would happen. And I guess I realized that I didn't want what was happening to happen to you, so I went by myself."

"Noriko…" Peter's voice was even smaller than before, but Noriko didn't look up to meet his eyes until he reached down and pulled her hands apart to tangle theirs "When-When we started dating, we agreed that we could deal with the Hand if we did it _together._ And I'm not—It's not pride, okay? I mean, a little bit, but it's mostly just I want-I want to help, Noriko. You're scared of me getting hurt, but I'm scared of _you_ getting hurt. So-So let me help you. Please."

Noriko met his eyes for only a second longer after his words ended before she returned them to the floor. It was quiet for a moment as she processed what he'd said and Peter gave her the time she needed. But, sooner than he'd expected, she raised her chin to look at him and she gave a nod. It was small and quick, but it was there. Peter let out a soft sigh of relief before he had to squash down a smile that pulled at his lips; this wasn't exactly an appropriate time to be grinning.

"Okay, what do you want me to do?" Peter asked, wincing at his too enthusiastic tone.

"Stay here." Noriko lifted her hand to stop Peter from expressing his displeasure "This is strategy. We're not in a fight right now; they're going after ours because we've got one of theirs. They already know that me, Luke, Akuma-san, Danny, and Jessica are working together. They're expecting us, not you. Let's keep it that way."

"But when there is a fight?" Peter offered, Noriko's lips twisting cynically at the expectations Peter had for this standoff.

"Keep your phone on."

.

The moment the break room door shut behind the two teenagers, Claire shifted her attention from thoughts of what she knew Noriko was going through to what the woman sat at the table must be experiencing. Claire had heard quite a few mentions of the famed Aunt May the handful of times Peter had stopped by the apartment. Her name usually preceded the words "is going to freak out," and, honestly, Claire had chalked that up to Peter's anxious nature. But now that she was looking at her, Claire was wondering if maybe this is where the kid had gotten it from.

Now that Peter was gone, she looked lost. She hadn't moved from where she'd stopped when Noriko had ran forward to hug Claire, almost as if she wasn't sure what to do in this situation. Claire couldn't blame her; it had taken her around two years of this to get comfortable and she still had problems recognizing that it didn't matter what she did, this shit was going to happen.

"Mrs. Parker?" Claire said, May looking at her like she was expecting her to yell or something "Would you like a cup of coffee or something?"

"Oh, no, thank you," May said, sounding surprised at the offer. But, those words seemed to break her out of her trance and she moved forward to sit at the small folding table; holding onto her bag as if it was the only thing keeping her grounded. Claire had seen this before, but usually only in people and their families after they'd been informed of the unlikelihood of recovery. She supposed, in a way, what Peter had gotten involved with could seem like something terminal.

"My name is Claire Temple," She supplied as she sat down at the table as well "It's nice to finally meet you. Well, I guess it would be nicer under different circumstances."

"Finally?" May repeated, her brow furrowing at the choice of words.

"Peter talks about you a lot," Claire offered, that confused expression only intensifying.

"How do you know Peter?" May demanded, Claire realizing where she'd gone wrong.

"I'm Noriko's legal guardian," she explained quickly, hoping to make it clear she wasn't just some random 30-something woman who knew her nephew "I'm also a nurse, so whenever either of them get banged up, I help them out."

May's eyes widened and her skin paled; Claire seeing the family resemblance more and more as her reply was a little too loud for the current setting.

"Oh, god, does that happen _often?"_

"My job is usually only ice packs and Band-Aids," Claire reassured in her best bedside voice "And when it is worse, it's always Noriko."

Thankfully, her "family of the dying" nurse voice calmed May at least somewhat and the upset woman looked away from her and to the plastic tabletop. For a moment, Claire let the silence take over the small room and gave May the time she needed to process what was happening.

"Noriko," May finally said, her voice quiet as if she was testing out the name on her tongue "She said… She said she's the Black Sky."

Even though this situation was serious and needed to be handled with the utmost care, Claire had a hard time stopping herself from smiling at the whisper May had spoken in. It was so similar to the one Peter would use, even when there was no one around to hear them.

"She is," Claire finally said, just able to keep the giggles down but unable to keep her lips from quirking slightly.

"Like, the vigilante on the news?" May continued as if she didn't want to believe it, turning her wide eyes from the uninteresting scratches on the plastic to Claire "The one who beat up those _police officers?"_

"Well… _yes,_ " Claire confirmed, realizing how delicate _this_ topic needed to be approached. Beating up muggers was one thing, breaking cops noses was entirely different. At least, it was different in the places where the cops didn't break yours first.

"They were both double her size," May said, Claire starting to realize what she was hearing in her voice wasn't disbelief or disapproval, but _concern_ "And-And even if she _hadn't_ attacked them, they probably would've _shot her."_

"I mean, it definitely seemed like that," Claire agreed, both surprised and slightly impressed by May's savvy in this area.

"How are you so relaxed about that?!" May demanded, her voice raising in volume and pitch on each word. Before Claire could even think of a way to answer that- a way to explain the complex history that allowed her to feel comfortable with Noriko putting herself in dangerous situations every night- the door to the break room opened once again. But, this time, only one teenager came through the doorway.

"Misty says we need to go in the office with everybody else," Peter said, sounding a little bit embarrassed as if he'd been cornered on his way back "She said she wants to be able to keep an eye on all of us."

Claire stood without hesitation, but she waited until May had stood as well before she started to walk out. One look at Peter's face told her everything she needed to know: Noriko was gone and she'd told him to stay behind.

And one look at May looking at Peter told her everything _else._

It was going to be a long night.

.

"What?"

Noriko's lips twitched at the deadpanned question despite the circumstances and she found herself voicing the true reason behind her silent looks.

"Missed the horns, is all."

Matt outwardly made no adjustment to his appearance, but Noriko knew that what she'd said had amused him at least somewhat. That was good, because knowing what was about to happen, they could all use a little cheering up.

Noriko took a step back to stand next to Luke while Matt's Billy Club seemed to gain a mind of its own when Matt flicked his wrist and it tightly wrapped around their captor's neck.

"So cool," Danny murmured from the other side of Luke.

"Don't think about it, Rand," Noriko hissed softly "I've already called it when he inevitably dies before the age of forty."

"You're gonna answer our questions or shit's gonna get dark in here," Matt said, likely tuning out the people whispering on the sidelines.

"What do they call you?" Sowande asked, his voice low and scratchy due to the lack of oxygen "The Devil of Hell's Kitchen? Even if you could kill me, it wouldn't make a difference. Cut off a finger, you can still use your hand. We will win. We have armies. We have our weapon."

Noriko tensed as this conversation veered right into the topic that she'd dreaded. She'd been willing to say it in the restaurant, but now… It was like when you forgot someone's name and didn't ask right away; it had gone on for too long.

"Let's talk about your weapon," Matt said, his voice terse "What did you do to her? What did you do to Elektra?"

"Elektra?" Sowande repeated as if he'd never heard it before.

"Yeah," Matt said, pulling the line even tighter "You dug up her grave. And what did you turn her into?"

"The body you knew was merely a vessel, waiting for its purpose," Sowande said conversationally "She's ours now."

"Then why hasn't she killed either of us yet?" Even when Noriko spoke and took a few steps to stand closer to him, Matt didn't move from his spot looming over Sowande "She's had the chance at least twice. Your weapons never quite work, do they?"

"Those that do not serve the Hand will be destroyed," Sowande said, his voice filled with harsh contempt once Noriko joined the interrogation. But, before he could hiss out anything else, Matt's hand pulled back and his foot pressed against his chest.

"Not on my watch."

Noriko took another step forward but stopped, unsure of what to do. Matt was dangerously close to crossing the line he swore he never would, but if this is what he wanted, Noriko wasn't sure she could stop him. Or, even if she _wanted_ to. It seemed that this dilemma gripped the others in the room as only Stick stayed relaxed and unworried.

"Hey, stop. You can't undo this," Jessica said, the woman who knew this path first hand stepping in. But, Matt didn't heed her words and only tightened the wire around his neck.

"Admit it," he hissed "Elektra's still in there. You failed."

"You're the one who failed," Sowande replied, still defiant despite his very possible death by asphyxiation "Elektra died on a rooftop in your arms because you couldn't protect her."

Matt gave a cry of rage and pain before pushing harder than before; the chair under Sowande breaking and the man falling to the floor, unconscious but alive. Noriko gave it one moment before she followed after Matt, who'd stepped away from the entire situation to cool down. But, she said nothing, just stood there; there was nothing she could say.

"I think it's time to tell them the truth, you two."

Noriko could feel the three pairs of eyes on her, but she did her best to ignore them in favor of silently communicating with Matt about what next. By the defeated way he removed his gloves and cowl, she saw that he agreed with what Stick said. Or, at least, couldn't think of a way out of spilling the entire story.

"I was willing to work with you two," Danny said, his voice low in anger as they advanced on Matt and Noriko "But how can I trust either of you?"

"I told you that I knew her," Noriko pointed out "I never lied about that."

"Then what _did_ you lie about?" Jessica demanded "Both of you?"

"Elektra was raised by him," Matt said, gesturing to Stick "Trained to fight the Hand. Which she did, with me. Until they convinced themselves she could serve another purpose and killed her."

"She looked pretty alive back there," Jessica pointed out, Noriko swallowing hard as they crept closer and closer.

"I know, but I was there when they…" Matt trailed off, unable to say all of it in one go "I was holding her when she died."

"Elektra died," Stick cut in with the same tone he'd used the night he'd first seen Noriko "That thing we've been fighting, it's something else."

"She's not a thing," Noriko replied, her voice more emotional than she would've preferred "She's doing this because she doesn't remember who she was, but she recognized her name. She recognized Matt and me. I don't think Elektra is completely gone."

"You think more than just her body was resurrected," Danny said simply, Noriko nodding in confirmation "How come you didn't tell us all of this before now?"

"Wait a minute," Luke cut in, hung up on something other than the possible lies that Noriko and Matt told "What do you mean 'resurrected'?"

"His ex-girlfriend," Stick said in response to Danny's question "Now those two think they can save her."

"That's why you nearly got us killed?" Luke demanded, getting with the program of outrage.

"We have to _try,"_ Noriko cut in, taking the heat off of Matt as she stepped in front of him

"Maybe you need to rethink that when it gets our asses kicked," Jessica said, Matt tensing slightly as he heard the way Noriko's heartbeat was picking up.

"I'm not going to kill her," Noriko said, her voice's pitch raising slightly with her pulse "And I'm not going to let the Hand keep using her."

"You care an awful lot about a woman you said you met once," Jessica said suspiciously, Matt unable to jump in before Noriko blew her top.

 _"Because Matt did the same for me!"_

For a moment, the only sound in the warehouse was a heavy silence as those words sunk in for everyone in it. Matt reached out and gently tugged on Noriko's arm as he listened to her heart slow back down to its normal pace. She went with his pull and moved beside him; the pair standing together as the other three started to speak.

"What are you talking about?" Danny managed, Noriko shuffling closer to Matt before she replied slowly.

"Elektra… Danny, at the restaurant, you asked what the Hand's weapons are called, but Matt cut me off. I know it seemed like he was just fed up at the time, but I think he was protecting me." Noriko looked over to Matt, who gave a curt nod "He stopped me from telling you what they're called because… They're called Black Skies."

Noriko was unsurprised when no response came after that. She actually would've been shocked if any of them could've managed to say anything at all. So, she plowed on soon after; finding it was easier to lay it all out once she'd started.

"That's why Alexandra knew me, why she was trying to convince me to come back. She thinks I'm just another one of the Hand's weapons, but I'm not. Even when they had me, I wasn't. It took a while, but… I know Elektra can come back from this because _I_ did. She's not gone completely, even if she doesn't remember who she was before her resurrection, because… I still don't know who I was before mine."

All at once, as if it was planned, the three people standing opposite of Noriko and Matt broke from their formation; Danny walked back towards Sowande's unconscious form, Jessica moved to her left and turned her body away from them, and Luke moved forward to speak to Noriko more directly.

"Noriko…" He started as if couldn't find the words to explain how impossible this all sounded.

"Why do you think I live with Claire, Luke?" She asked, trying to show him how this _did_ make sense "Or why I can fight?"

Suddenly, any further conversation about this topic was cut off by the sound of Danny grunting in what seemed like surprise. When Noriko turned her eyes from Luke to where Danny had stood the last time she'd checked, the mighty Iron Fist was being held with a piece of glass to his jugular. The group of four rushed forward before Sowande called out.

"Don't move."

For a moment, there was only tense silence before he spoke again.

"Let's not kid each other," he said with a serious but calm expression as he held tightly onto a struggling Danny "This is personal for every one of us. But, now I have the Iron Fist. The key to what the Hand seeks. The key to life, to our salvation. The war is over."

Sowande turned to go and before anyone could register it, a blade cut through more than just air.

"Not yet," Stick said simply, Sowande's body dropping to the ground and his head rolling a few feet away.

Noriko clenched her jaw as she took in the scene in front of her, but she didn't say anything; the others needed a moment to process the violence that had happened so suddenly.

"You okay?" Luke asked, Noriko not even looking over to see if he'd directed that towards her.

"Yeah, I mean…" Jessica muttered "My head's still attached."

"You didn't have to kill him," Matt said, Noriko finally breaking her eye contact with the crime scene and turning them to the murderer of the night.

"It was him or the kid," Stick replied.

"They could've stopped him," Danny said, Noriko's brow raising at the trust he placed in them despite the way he acted like he didn't.

"Couldn't take the chance, especially now," Stick said, Noriko feeling like he was being purposefully vague.

"What do you mean, 'especially now'?" Luke asked, feeding directly into what he wanted.

"We got our answer," Stick said, pointing his katana towards Danny "He's what they've been after all along."

"We knew that," Noriko said, the insult towards Stick going unspoken "What we didn't know was that he's the key to something. Sowande said it twice, that's not an accident."

"To what, their survival?" Matt asked, Noriko sending Danny an appraising look.

"No," Noriko said, shaking her head as she wracked her brains for information that might help them "There must be a lock."

"I assumed it was a metaphor," Jessica deadpanned, recovering quickly after the obscene violence.

"It's not," Stick jumped back in.

"So you literally think Danny opens something?" Luke asked the two people that couldn't have been more different; Noriko shrugging and nodding while Stick expanded.

"And that something is worth dying for."

"I'm a weapon, not a key," Danny interjected, Noriko sending him a look.

"How would you know? You weren't aware that the Chaste was your army until a couple of hours ago."

"What could I possibly open?" Danny demanded, confrontational after her slight dig.

"I don't know, but it would explain why Alexandra didn't kill you in that boardroom," Noriko replied, running her fingers over her hair in an attempt to tame it as she thought.

"She didn't kill me because they want me on their side," Danny said, Matt taking a step forward as he heard his heartbeat start to pick up in aggravation.

"Then she would've killed you after you said no at the Royal Dragon," Noriko pointed out "The Hand isn't afraid to cut their losses, especially when it's volatile and dumb."

Danny took a threatening step forward, but when Noriko didn't pull back and Matt moved to stand closer to her, he didn't attempt anything more than a threatening glare.

"Kid's right," Stick interjected, Noriko looking back at him with a raised eyebrow "I've heard stories of the Iron Fist chi being used for more. To seal things shut. Or, opening them again."

"So, the Hand is in New York because he gives them access or opens something up?" Luke asked, Noriko shrugging as Danny spoke awkwardly.

"Come on, guys. That's insane."

"You're standing in a room with two blind ninjas, a bulletproof man, a woman with super strength, and a girl who's been resurrected and _this_ is what crosses the line?" Noriko asked incredulously, looking to see if anyone else was thinking this was as ridiculous as she did "Your hand glows!"

"Besides, it doesn't matter if you think it's true or not," Matt added, a bit calmer than the teenager "It's something they believe is true."

"He was a member of the Hand," Danny replied, pointing towards the two pieces of Sowande "An organization formed by lying psychopaths. You can't trust a word he said."

"I understand that, Danny," Matt said, still in "keep the Iron Fist from losing it" mode "But, the way I see it, we only have one move."

Danny looked across the faces of the five other people in the room and saw that the plan that Matt had thought of was shared by all of them.

"Whoa, what do you mean?" He demanded, Noriko rolling her eyes.

"Keep you as far away from the Hand as we can," she said, shaking her head before muttering under her breath "Dumb."

"It sounds crazy, but I don't think we have any other way," Luke agreed, taking a few steps forward as he seemed to be preparing himself to restrain him.

"I dedicated my life to this fight. You need me. We all need each other," Danny protested, realizing his words weren't making any of them stand down "This is exactly how they work. They divide us. They get into our heads. They weaken us. They make you question the people you trust."

"The only head I think they're in, is _yours,"_ Noriko said, slowly stepping forward as she spoke "Back down, Danny; think about it with your head instead of your fist."

"Don't tell me to back down, Noriko!" He yelled, Noriko's steps faltering for a moment before she took another one "This is what they want! They want you to be distracted. They want you to turn on me."

"Sowande wasn't lying," Matt spoke softly in contrast "His heartbeat didn't waver. Not for a second."

"And where was his heartbeat when he came up behind me?" Danny demanded, Noriko's jaw clenching at his accusatory tone.

"Again, Danny, it's starting to seem like they've turned you around," she said, Danny turning his anger from Matt onto her.

"It's the Hand. _You_ know how they operate."

"Yeah, and a bullshit key in the eleventh hour is the exact type of thing they love to pull," Noriko said, calm despite the implication in Danny's words "Ask Colleen. I bet she'd back me up."

Danny took a step forward with a whole new type of glare on his face, but Noriko didn't back down for even a second. When it was clear that his intimidation wouldn't work, Danny turned his attention to everyone else in the room.

"Why do you trust her?" He demanded, gesturing to the teen that stood only a few feet away from him "She lied to us about who she was. We're running out of time and you are all putting your faith in a weapon of the Hand. They're hurting our friends, our families, and they're not gonna stop there. You heard what he said; this ends with New York in ruins. They want me on the sidelines 'cause I'm the only one who can destroy them."

For a moment, there was only silence.

"I never expected someone who was raised by monks to be so goddamn full of himself," Noriko said, crossing her arms and turning her eyes to the others "How do we do this?"

"We could hide him," Luke offered, Jessica nodding in agreement and confirming to Danny that everyone in the warehouse stood against him.

"Fine," he said, seeming to give up on all of them "I'll go back to doing this without you if I have to. I've already lost one city, I'm not losing another."

Danny only managed a step before the opening he was heading towards closed up, Noriko now standing between him and the way out.

"Really?" Danny asked incredulously, looking down at the girl who stood half a foot shorter than him "You're gonna try and keep me here against my will?"

"If you make me," Noriko said, her stance adjusting "Go ahead, take another step; I'll show you how much of a weapon I can be."

"Whatever," Danny said, not only doing as she taunted, but also moving to shove her away. But, he found himself stumbling back after Noriko pushed him; the young man giving a petulant huff and readjusting his jacket as if this was bar fight. Jessica and Luke exchanged a quick look, both trying to figure out how they could keep Danny from trying to fight the literal child in their group.

"You sure you want to do this?" He asked, Noriko not dropping eye contact for a second.

"Are you?"

"Danny, we're all on the same side here," Luke interjected, really not wanting this to go this way and already trying to figure out a way he can pull Danny away from Noriko without getting hit with his right hook.

"It doesn't feel like it," Danny replied, Noriko snorting and rolling her eyes.

"Whose fault is that?"

"Don't do this," Jessica spoke up, speaking to Danny but looking at the small teenager that made even Danny Rand look like a large and mature man.

"Hey, you guys seriously need to back off," he said, starting to sound a little panicky as they closed in around him.

"Sure, you first," Noriko said, her deadpanned tone nearly cut off by Matt's soothing voice.

"Noriko," he chastised quietly before speaking up "Danny, you just stay here. We can keep you safe, alright? You just need to calm down."

"Well, that's the problem, Matt," Danny said, side-eyeing the man few feet to the left of Noriko "I'm all out of calm."

Before anyone could prepare for it, Danny reared back and punched Noriko in the face. Everyone stilled, including Noriko, who stayed with her face turned in the way Danny had hit her. But before anyone else could rush forward to pull Danny away and possibly hit him back for what he'd done, he was sent stumbling backwards by a punch too fast for anyone to register.

Then, as if on cue, they were off; the Black Sky and the Iron Fist throwing and dodging blows that no average person could keep track of. But, even to the untrained eyes of Jessica and Luke, it became abundantly clear that this wasn't a fair fight. Danny would take a swing and Noriko would easily dodge it. Danny would block a punch and Noriko would hit him with a kick. Luke watched as Noriko made the guy who'd managed to keep up in a fight with him because of his speed look like molasses in comparison to her.

Both Luke and Jessica sent quick looks towards Matt, trying to gauge whether or not they should try to split this fight up or allow it to continue, but found all he was doing was cocking his head to the side as he listened to the brawl. His form was tense, but he wasn't doing anything other than taking it all in. So, they followed his lead and waited for the moment where he would deem it necessary to get involved.

They all watched as Noriko hit Danny across the face and sent him stumbling to the ground, but she didn't deliver a fight ending blow. Maybe it was because she didn't want the fight to end and was _enjoying_ beating down the Iron Fist, or maybe it was because she was scared if she kept going, she wouldn't be able to stop. Either way, it gave Danny enough time to do the only thing he could think of to bring the fight back for him.

Before anyone could respond to the golden glow illuminating the warehouse, Danny was swinging around with his fist aimed right at Noriko's center. And maybe the smart move would've been to move out of the way, but Noriko responded on instinct.

For a moment, it wasn't clear what had happened, but as they all looked, it became apparent it hadn't turned out the way any of them had expected.

Noriko and Danny looked down at where their hands were connected, both with shock plain on their expressions.

 _Noriko_ _caught the Iron Fist._

After a moment of processing, Noriko tightened her grip around Danny's hand; the latter yelping in pain as the shine seemed to be infected by an inky black that soon disappeared to reveal the normal color of his skin. Once she saw that, Noriko let go and Danny stumbled away; gripping his hand as he tried to process what had just happened. For a moment there was only silence, then Danny looked up and before he could make the move Noriko knew was coming, she punched him right in the face; sending him tumbling to floor, out cold.

Again, there was quiet as Noriko studied her own hand; rubbing her thumb across the palm that had absorbed the impact that was known for throwing Luke across a room. Even when she looked over her shoulder at the other, wide-eyed inhabitants of the warehouse, she didn't let go.

"I wasn't expecting that either."


	5. Black Lies

Peter Parker didn't like coffee.

Sure, he liked frapps from Starbucks, but he couldn't drink anything less sweet. To enjoy coffee, he needed the true flavor to be drowned out with milk and sugar. Every so often he'd give it another chance, trying to figure out if he'd finally gotten to the maturity everyone claimed existed; some mystical age that made him like that bitter taste. But, every time he took a sip, he'd wince and feel a grimace take over his expression.

And yet, here he was, pouring his second cup from the old pot sitting in the corner of the office.

As he looked down at the brown liquid, he wondered if maybe Noriko didn't like coffee all that much either. Sure, she drank it a lot, but maybe that wasn't because she enjoyed it; maybe she felt the same itch that he was feeling right now. That feeling in his stomach that he couldn't quite place, but wouldn't completely go away no matter how much coffee he gulped down.

Or, maybe he was just using this as an excuse to stand up and walk away from the unsettling vibe that had filled the air between him and his Aunt.

May hadn't said anything yet, not really, but that was probably just shock at what was happening right now. But, when that passed, who knew what would happen. What she would say. What she would _ask._

"Hey."

Peter looked up from where he'd just finished pouring coffee into his Styrofoam cup to the voice next to him. A young woman with a tired expression had a cup like his in one hand and her other hand out to take the pot from him. But, instead of handing it over, Peter just tipped it to pour coffee into her cup, a small, forced smile coming in response.

"Thanks," she said, still looking at the liquid flowing "Who got you stuck here?"

"Noriko," Peter replied before realizing he might've made a mistake saying her real name.

"Claire's kid," the woman said softly before Peter could try to backtrack "You know why she's mixed up in this?"

"Yeah," Peter confirmed, putting the pot back into the machine as the woman smiled a little wider "Why're you here?"

"Danny," she said before realizing she should expand "Rand. Danny Rand."

Peter sent her a look but didn't ask why the famed not-dead billionaire was fighting the Hand. He'd seen Batman Begins, he didn't need to know the details. Instead, he chose to press when she took a step and a horrible flinch took over her whole form.

"Are you okay?" He asked, the woman's smile pained now.

"Yeah, I just…" Whatever it was clearly hurt her more than just physically "Had a run-in with one of the H—people that-."

"I know about the Hand," Peter interrupted, knowing he might as well get this out of the way if he ever wanted to get the full info on what was happening. She obviously hadn't been expecting that—not that Peter blamed her, he probably knew more than the cops at this point—but she didn't comment on it and instead restarted her sentence.

"I had a run-in with one of the Hand and he got me pretty bad," she admitted, gently rubbing her hand across her stomach.

"Claire helped you, right?" Peter asked, the woman's smile becoming more genuine.

"Yeah, she said the painkillers would take a little while to kick in, which sucks," she said before sending him a considering look "I'm Colleen Wing."

"Peter Parker."

"Are you Noriko's boyfriend?"

The sudden and unexpected question made Peter freeze as he felt the blood rush to his face and turn him a bright red.

"I-I, um, I mean, y-yeah," he managed to sputter out before focusing at the issue at hand "W-Why—How?"

"Some stuff Claire said about you," Colleen said gently before noticing how that color was now draining away to leave him white "Nothing bad or even specific, just the way she talked about you."

"Huh," Peter managed, although it came out strangled "Um, c-can you not talk about this? It's—I'm not embarrassed or anything, just-just, my aunt doesn't really know."

Colleen looked over- with Peter following her lead- at the woman sat in the corner of the office; May's eyes were trained on were her hands were clasped tightly on top of the table, as if, if they weren't tensed, they'd be shaking. Just at that sight, Peter nearly burst into the Parker hysterics; how the _hell_ was he going to explain all of this?

"I know I don't know the full situation," Colleen said before turning back to Peter with sympathetic eyes "But I'm pretty sure you're going to have to tell her before this is all over."

"Yeah," Peter agreed, his mind running a mile-a-minute with all the different, disastrous outcomes of revealing the whole truth of his and Noriko's relationship to May. As he kept his gaze on his aunt, he didn't notice that Colleen's expression had become amused until she reached out and gently punched him in the shoulder.

"Secretly dating a vigilante," She observed with a wry smile "Living dangerously."

Peter couldn't help but return that smile with one that held a different weight entirely.

"You have no idea."

.

The quiet that filled the warehouse was eerie; it was as if the yelling and punching from less than an hour ago had never happened. The only sound that kept it from complete silence was the soft breathes of the four inhabitants and the occasional rustles of the newspaper being turned and folded.

In her corner of the rundown room, Noriko looked out into nothing as she pressed her left thumb into her right palm to the point of pain. Only after a moment of the blunt discomfort did she let up on the pressure and moved onto slowly rubbing in circles.

"Does it hurt?"

That deep voice woke Noriko out of her reverie and for a moment, she looked at the man sat a few feet away with a lost expression. But, she was able to get a handle on her emotions and thoughts before it got too weird and she responded.

"No," she said, her voice soft before she cleared her throat and spoke up "No, I was just… thinking."

Luke nodded as his eyes slipped off of her and landed on the old wood underneath both of them. It was quiet again, but only for a moment, when Luke looked over at her again and gestured to the ground near him with his paper. Noriko pushed herself off of the groaning floorboards and moved to sit closer to Luke with her back to one of the many decaying walls in this abandoned building, only this time facing in a way that allowed her to see Stick.

At first, Noriko wondered if maybe Luke had beckoned her over just so he could keep a better eye on her, but soon the slightly uncomfortable silence was broken and assuaged those concerns.

"I'm still not over you being some sort of super-secret vigilante."

"Yeah? Well, me neither," Noriko said, a tinge of bitterness to her voice that prevented Luke from laughing at her sort-of joke.

"How long?" Luke said after a moment of awkwardness "How long have you been…?"

"A little bit after you were taken back to Seagate," Noriko said softly "I didn't… At first, I was just beating up abusive boyfriends in my apartment complex and it just sort of escalated from there."

"And you never thought to mention any of this to me?" Luke asked, Noriko maintaining eye-contact despite his accusatory tone.

"What would you have done?" She asked, tilting her head as if his answer actually interested her "Written it and hope that no one was looking through the mail at Seagate? Or would you have waited until we could be face to face and say "Oh, by the way, I'm a vigilante."

Luke's jaw clenched but before he could reply to Noriko, he noticed the way the aggression on her face slipped away and she sat up straighter. She'd noticed something.

"What is it?" He asked, his brow furrowing in concern. But, that disappeared when he realized what had caught her attention.

The pair kept their eyes averted as they listened to the way Danny pulled at his bonds, only for him to find them constricting to the point of making him lose breath. Only once he'd stilled and gasped for air did either of them acknowledge the struggling man.

"Are you done?" Noriko asked without turning to face him, a tinge of the hostility left over from her conversation with Luke seeping into her words.

"You've got me tied up like a prisoner," Danny said once he stilled and the ropes loosened, Noriko not commenting on the underlying accusation in his statement.

"Not 'like,'" Luke said casually, back to perusing the newspaper in front of him "You're definitely a prisoner. It's not a good look."

"Where's Matt?" Danny demanded "Where's Jessica?"

"We all agreed that everything points to Midland Circle," Noriko said, back to studying her hand "They're out digging up dirt on it."

"'All?'" Danny hissed, Noriko feeling his glare on the back of her head "As in everyone who worked against me."

"You're the one who threw that first punch, Danny, not me," Noriko said, Luke suddenly realizing that while she'd physically come out unscathed from the fight, her feelings might not have been that lucky.

"If you'd listened, you would've been around for the conversation," Luke said, picking up his chair and placing it closer to Danny. For a moment, Noriko stayed in her position before she swung her legs and moved to face Danny and Luke with her side leaning against the end of the wall "And I think you would've agreed. Midland Circle's Suspect. Especially now that we found the hole."

"What hole?" Danny asked, still hostile despite the slight shift in topic.

"Matt says there's something weird under Midland Circle," Noriko explained, Danny sending disparaging looks between the people opposite him.

"And they got you two on guard duty."

"That depends on you," Luke said, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms.

"Big mistake," Danny muttered before he struggled against the bonds again, only to be choked to near unconsciousness. Luke chuckled and even Noriko cracked a smile as Danny tried to get free, only enraging him further.

"Don't you see what's happening?" He demanded, his eyes going between Noriko and Luke in a borderline frantic way "You've got me tied up like I'm the enemy and they're out there trying to kill the people we care about."

"Misty's keeping everyone safe," Luke replied.

"For now," Danny said, calming down but only slightly "But I care about a lot more people than we can fit in a police station. And I know you do, too. This city is at stake. The three of us… Luke Cage, the Black Sky, and the Iron Fist… We belong out there. Together, on the front lines."

"Danny, we're in a war, not a battle," Noriko said, her voice softer and lacking the hostility from earlier "And wars aren't won by aimlessly throwing punches. We have to be smarter than them to get through this or else those people we care about—the people of _New York_ … they'll be the ones who pay the price of our decisions. We need to think this through."

For a moment, it was quiet as Danny plainly displayed every emotion he was going through on his expression. Finally, he spoke in a low voice.

"The moment I can refocus my chi, I'm getting out of this chair."

Luke and Noriko exchanged a look before the former spoke.

"We'll be waiting."

.

"You need to tell me everything."

Peter reached up and ran his fingers through his hair and sighed when the strands fell back into his eyes; he'd been expecting her to say this, but it didn't make it any easier when she did. As his eyes traveled across the table they were sat at, he took note of how Claire was studying the table top with far more interest than necessary and how Colleen was sending him a sideways look as she sipped her coffee; they knew just as much as he did what was coming. May didn't back down in the face of his distress, though, and instead double-downed.

"Cut the bullshit, Peter," she hissed "I deserve an explanation."

She was right and they both knew it. It took a moment before Peter spoke, once again sending a look at the others at the table as he did.

"Okay," he muttered, his voice not quite steady but not too rocky "Just, somewhere else?"

May acquiesced and followed him out of the office into the hallway; the Aunt-Nephew pair finding their way to the most private corridor there was in this station and turning to face each other before either of them spoke.

"What the _hell_ is going on?" May whispered, Peter already feeling his own emotions start to rise in the face of her hysteria "Why are we even _here?"_

"Because-Because Noriko's taking on this criminal organization," Peter said, his voice faltering more than once in the course of that sentence "And they'll go after me to get to her, so we need-."

"How do they know who you are?" May asked, her panic rising "You said only a few people knew about— How come this criminal organization knows?"

"I don't think they do," Peter admitted, feeling something tighten as they danced closer and closer to the truth "I don't think they're after _Spider-Man._ I think they're after Peter Parker."

It was quiet for a moment as this information sunk in for May and when she spoke again, her voice was low; something behind each word that left her lips.

"Who is this girl?" She asked, Peter realizing immediately that just telling her either of Noriko's aliases wouldn't be a sufficient answer.

"She's my partner," Peter said simply "I met her one of the first times I ever went out. I—She was beating up these guys who were going to hold up a convenience store and I talked to her and… We started working together. She taught me a lot about all of this and… I-I know you didn't get a chance to see it, but she's a _really_ good person. She just wants to help people. She always gives them a chance to walk away first, but… people usually don't take it. What-What I'm trying to say is that… She's not going up against the Hand because she wants to be special or something, she's doing it because she has to."

The silence that followed that little speech wasn't the type Peter had been expecting; May clearly wasn't put at least at some amount of ease at that. In fact, now that he was looking, she seemed more upset than ever.

"You're still lying to me."

Peter's throat tightened at the way his aunt's words wobbled; her eyes shining under the fluorescent lights. He was hurting her. He couldn't _stop_ hurting her, could he?

"What is it, Peter?" May asked, her voice tinged with desperation. Like this was a last ditch effort to repair what had been broken the moment she'd laid eyes on him in that suit "What about this girl are you hiding from me?"

"She's…"

 _She's Noriko._

 _She's the Black Sky._

 _She's Luna._

"She's my girlfriend."

.

"What's he doing?

Noriko had assumed after the threats Danny had made he would stay quiet as he attempted to make good on them. But, instead, he questioned them almost immediately after Luke had made his own promise.

"Meditating," Luke replied uninterestedly, Noriko recalling how his eyes had glazed over when Stick had gone into details "I think.

"He's centering his anima," she expanded, she hadn't been listening from the start, but she recognized the form he was in.

"Sure," Luke said, clearly not enthralled with that information "I'm not into that mystic stuff."

"It's not 'mystic stuff,'" Danny said, offense clearly in his voice "It's just a different way of viewing the world."

"Quite different," Luke said, Noriko smiling slightly at his tone.

"Yeah," Danny said, getting into it now "It's about perspective."

"Hey, why don't you tell me again about how you punched the dragon and got your magic hand?"

Although Noriko's lips curled at the obvious sarcasm in Luke's voice, behind her amused exterior a million alarms were blaring. Today had been a shit-show of _Biblical_ proportions, but those words still sent shock coursing through her system. Was this what it felt like whenever she told someone about her background? Because, if it was, she needed to call Peter and thank him for being a kind and patient man.

As if Danny couldn't detect Luke's mockery and could sense the way Noriko was floundering with whatever the hell Luke had just said, he spoke sincerely.

"During the final trial of Shou-Lao the Undying, I plunged my fist into his molten heart."

"Dude, I was kidding," Luke said, cutting the story short. For a moment, it was quiet, but the vibe in the room had shifted considerably. Luke and Noriko exchanged a look as they both realized what they were sensing from Danny, Noriko finally speaking up.

"Molten heart?" Danny looked over at the girl who was slowly moving closer to the two men; her head tipped to the side as she spoke "Did it hurt?"

"Like you wouldn't believe," Danny said with a small smile that the two others mirrored.

"I took a direct hit from a rocket launcher once," Luke offered "Got blasted in the face with a shotgun. By Jessica."

"Our Jessica?" Danny asked, his lips curving at the thought.

"Trust me, I'd face a dragon over Jessica Jones any day," Luke said, Danny chuckling.

The room fell silent and Noriko thought about how oddly everything that was happening now had already been weaved into her life before this moment. It was like the universe had been conspiring from the second she met Matt. But, those reveries were broken by Danny's foot sliding across the floor and gently knocking into her leg.

"I punched a molten heart, Luke was shot by Jessica, what about you?" he said "I mean, you're the Black Sky; you've got to have some good ones."

Noriko's lips curled as she thought about the question. There were a million examples she could give; the time she'd fought a full biker gang was a good one, or the time Peter's web-shooters had malfunctioned and they'd fallen into a dumpster. Yet, she knew the answer she was going to give them the moment the question left Danny's lips, and it was none of those.

"Dying wasn't bad," Noriko said casually "But coming back… That's a bitch."

For a moment, the weight of Noriko's words hung heavily on the two men. It was one thing to talk about rocket launchers and punching dragons, it was a whole other thing to talk about someone's resurrection.

"How did it happen?" Danny asked, Noriko and Luke looking over at him "How did you die?"

"I don't know," Noriko said after a moment, her eyes trained on the wall behind Luke "I don't remember anything from then, just… waking up afterwards."

"What about your parents?" Luke asked, Noriko shaking her head.

"I assume they're dead," she said with a shrug "I don't think the Hand would've left them alive. But… it doesn't matter, I don't remember them. Claire… Claire's my mother."

"And Matt?" Noriko and Luke looked over at Danny, who had his head tipped to the side in a surprisingly good imitation of Noriko. For a moment, she was quiet as she thought about the question, before she finally replied.

"Matt's Matt."

.

"I take it you told her."

Colleen couldn't help the way she chuckled under her breath when Peter muttered unintelligibly; his already indistinct words muffled even further by the fact he was resting his face on his arms. Claire exchanged a look with her before she reached out and placed a comforting hand on Peter's shoulder.

"Where is she?" She asked, realizing that when Peter had slouched back into the room, he had been alone.

"Crehugh ingth buuthoun prauhbblee."

"What was that?" Claire asked, Colleen having to cover her mouth to prevent herself from laughing out loud at the poor kid.

"Crying in the bathroom, probably," Peter repeated, lifting his head and allowing the two women to see his flushed cheeks and shiny eyes. All at once, both of them felt a little bit guilty for being so amused at the situation and when they exchanged another look, it was remorseful instead of tickled "I'm the worst nephew."

"You're not the worst nephew," Claire comforted, Peter making a funny sound and letting his head drop back down onto his arms "This is just a lot to handle, especially all at once. She'll come around."

"Buhwhauf shadosint?"

"She will," Claire reassured, getting better at deciphering Peter's mumbles. When he didn't respond, Claire took a deep breath and rubbed her face before speaking "How about I talk to her?"

Peter's head popped up again, but this time his expression was tinged with hope.

"Really?"

"Sure," she said with a small smile "It's worth a shot."

Claire's smile only grew as Peter's expression softened from the distraught one he'd been wearing into one painted with gratitude.

"Thanks, Claire," he said, his voice so genuine that any misgivings she had about this situation seemed to disappear. Claire gave him one last smile and a gentle pat on his back; the young man not noticing how she sent Colleen a look with a clear message.

 _Distract him._

Once Claire left the office where they'd been relegated, Colleen did as she silently requested.

"Who'd you meet first?" She asked, Peter's brow furrowing at the question "Noriko or…?"

"Not Noriko," he opted to say, taking note of the way people were all around them. Colleen smiled and nodded as she thought about it for a minute, only to ask another question.

"Did she save you the first time you met?"

"No," Peter replied promptly, Colleen sending him a look.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed of if she did," she said "I didn't see her fight, but Danny said-."

"O-oh, she _has_ saved me," Peter interrupted, not wanting Colleen to think he was _that_ type of guy "Lots of times. It just wasn't the first time we met."

"Then what happened?" Colleen asked, no longer just trying to keep him occupied and now genuinely curious. But, she watched as Peter's cheeks pinked and he reached up to rub the back of his neck and she wondered what could _possibly_ make him react this way.

"W-We kind of had a-a fight."

"What?!" Colleen demanded in a voice a little too loud as she sat up straight in her seat despite the way her stomach protested "Wh-?!"

"Excuse me?"

The pair sat at the table looked up to see a professional looking man in his early thirties standing nearby, his eyes on the younger of the two.

"Peter Parker?" He asked, pointing at the surprised teen, who nodded in confirmation "Nice to meet you, I'm Franklin Nelson. People call me Foggy."

"Foggy?" Peter repeated, taking his offered hand as he tried to figure out why that rang a bell.

"I'm… I'm Noriko Temple's attorney," Foggy said, Peter's eyebrows raising as he remembered how Noriko would occasionally talk about some friend of the family named that. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, but now that he was looking at the man, he found that the strange nickname fit him perfectly.

"Yeah, Noriko mentioned you," Peter said, Foggy smiling slightly.

"She's mentioned _you_ ," he replied, Peter hearing something in his tone that prompted him to ask.

"H-How much?"

"Enough," Foggy said simply, with a significant look that established exactly where they were at right now "Anyway, I thought it would be the best if I come over and talk to you, because there is no way she's getting out of this unscathed."

"What do you mean?" Peter asked, worry in his voice as he sat up straighter and Foggy took a seat at the table. But, before he elaborated, he looked over Peter's shoulder at the other person who was listening intently.

"Th-That's Colleen," Peter said "Don't worry, she's cool. She knows about Noriko."

Foggy raised an eyebrow but gave Colleen a respectful nod that she returned, although she was smiling a little bit at Peter's estimation of her.

"I represent Noriko and a person she probably talks about just as much as me," Foggy said, Peter nodding as he realized exactly who he was talking about "All of this stuff only works when both parts run parallel to each other, but right now… The police are asking questions. Misty's suspicious and that might lead into a deeper investigation. The path it's on right now is one that leads to _collision_."

"What can we do?" Peter asked, Foggy shrugging helplessly.

"I can try to talk to my friend, but I don't think anything I can say will convince him to back off," he admitted "How about you? Can you get through to Noriko?"

"I mean, maybe," Peter replied with a conflicted expression "But, I-I'm not sure if I should. Or if I even want to."

"Oh, oh, good," Foggy said, a false smile taking over his face "You're just like them. That's... That's great. You?"

Colleen looked over at Peter before she nodded; Foggy giving a small, hysterical chuckle before he reached up and rubbed his eyes.

"Why am I always the only sane one?" He asked himself before pushing out his chair and standing, sending both of them a look that made it clear that he just didn't understand them "Well, if— _when_ you two need an attorney; The Law Offices of Hogarth, Chao, and Benowitz is at your service."

Foggy mumbled something under his breath that Colleen didn't hear, but made Peter's cheeks pink a little bit, and he walked back to the side of the office he'd been sharing with a blonde woman neither of them recognized.

Only once he was long out of earshot did Peter turn to face Colleen, the young man quiet for a minute until he finally spoke what had obviously been weighing on his mind the entire time he'd interacted with her.

"Why do you have a Katana?"

.

"If I'm distracting, will it take longer for you to refocus your chi?"

"No," Danny replied evenly to Noriko's question, the man not even opening his eyes to look at her.

"Oh, okay, then," she said, turning from looking at Danny to the other man "Hey, Luke, want to hear about the Black Sky? I assume you have more questions."

Luke smiled as he realized what her strategy was and, going by the way Danny cracked an eye open, it was working.

"Sure," Luke said, sitting back in his seat and sending her a smirk "Does Peter know?"

Any of the amusement Noriko was getting out of this drained out of her face and was replaced with an awkward expression. Luke nearly laughed, but he held it in and simply grinned.

"Yes," Noriko said hesitantly, not quite meeting Luke's eyes anymore.

"Who's Peter?" Danny asked, unable to stop himself.

"Peter's her boyfriend," Luke said, obviously taking glee in telling Danny this "He investigates with you, right?"

"Yeah," Noriko confirmed, both Danny and Luke smiling slightly at her discomfort "I mean, I get a job and he helps me."

Luke opened his mouth to tease her further, but before he got the chance, Danny spoke.

"What do you mean 'get a job'?" He asked, his brow furrowed "Don't you stop muggings and stuff?"

"Well, yeah, sometimes. But, most of the time, I get a tip," Noriko said before sighing, realizing that answer was insufficient "So, usually, my friend Deangelo will find someone who needs help and he'll send them to the diner where I work. They talk to the waitress—me—and if their problem is real then it'll disappear."

"You're a hero for hire," Danny said, Norio shrugging slightly in acceptance of his label.

"I mean, I don't ask for anything in return. People do have a tendency to come back in and leave a big tip, though."

"What about the people who don't think they need help? Or don't want to ask?" Luke asked, Noriko tipping her head in recognition of that point.

"You'd be surprised how willing people are to spill their dark secrets just because some teenager told them about a magic diner," Noriko said before her smile slipped away "And, I mean, there's usually always someone willing to ask for help for someone else. An abused person might not, but their mom probably will… But…"

"But?" Luke asked, Noriko sending him a look that clearly conveyed her unhappiness with whatever she was about to say

"It really doesn't matter if someone told me or if I stumbled across it; I can't help someone if they don't want it," she said, giving a soft sigh that was far too knowledgeable for someone her age "I can beat up an abuser a hundred times, if the person getting hurt won't leave them, it means nothing… You can't save someone from the path they choose."

.

It was only once she'd stepped past the doorway did it occur to Claire that she had no idea where Mrs. Parker was and that she only had a self-deprecating comment from Peter to go off of. But, it wasn't a bad guess and she needed to start somewhere.

"Misty?" Claire called to the retreating woman, who paused and sent back a look "Bathroom?"

Misty pointed in the direction opposite she was going and after a grateful nod, Claire headed down the hallway, weaving around cops until she saw the familiar sign on a door. The moment she pushed inside, she knew that Peter's prediction had been right; even though she tried to conceal it, Claire recognized the heavy breathing of someone just barely holding it together.

"Mrs. Parker?" Claire asked, gently knocking on the one closed stall door "It's Claire, I just wanted to talk… Peter told me what happened."

The door swung open to reveal the patchy face of May Parker, who had clearly been crying and was clearly doing everything in her power to not right now. She stepped out of the stall and walked past Claire to splash her face with cold water from the sink; the nurse electing to not speak until she was done and leaning against the counter opposite of her.

"Mrs. Parker—." Claire started, only to be cut off.

"Did you know?" May asked, her voice fierce yet wobbling dangerously as she stared at the tile floor "That they are…"

"Yes," Claire answered quietly, May sighing and burying her face in her hands "Listen, I know you haven't got to know Noriko yet, but she's… She's a good kid… A good person."

"That's what Peter said," May said, dropping her hands and sending Claire a dejected look "Kept talking about how she… How she helps him with all of this."

"Yeah," Claire said softly, not entirely sure what to say in response to that.

"Why did he lie? Why didn't he tell me about her?" May asked as if Claire would have some insight that she didn't, which wasn't entirely out of left field "Why does he _always_ lie?"

In one way, the weight on Claire's heart lifted as she realized that all of this wasn't because of Peter's relationship with Noriko. But, in another, the pressure increased as she realized that what was wrong wasn't something with an easy answer. Offering up evidence of Noriko's golden heart or inviting May to a family dinner to get to know her better wouldn't fix this. This was deeper. This was something she didn't know if she could help with or not.

"I'm not sure," Claire replied honestly after a moment of pondering May's questions "But… I think that he might be trying to protect you."

"From what?" She asked, obviously frustrated.

"Noriko…" Claire sighed and moved to stand beside May, shoulder to shoulder "Everything she's mixed up in right now, she has been since Peter— since _I_ met her. It's a part of her; it always has been and I think it always will be. And… I'm thinking that maybe he didn't tell you about her, because he didn't want to pull you into this… Clearly that didn't work out."

"But, what if…" May's voice gave out and Claire felt a part of her crack at the way she put her hand over her mouth to keep it together "What if that isn't it. What if I'm...?"

Claire's eyes shut as she realized what the rest of that question was going to be; how could she not recognize it? It was one she asked herself daily.

 _What if I'm not enough?_

"… I adopted Noriko a little under a year ago," Claire said, her voice lower than before as tears similar to May's stood in her eyes "It was… It was just a living arrangement. She needed somewhere to stay and I had an apartment so... She'd gone through some serious shit and I knew I was going to have to help her heal, but I'd done that before. I'd helped Daredevil and this woman named Jessica Jones, how was helping her any different, you know? I'm a nurse; it's what we do… Then, one morning, less than a week after she'd started staying with me, I woke up before her. She was fast asleep on my couch and in that moment, I…"

Claire's voice gave out as she remembered that exact moment like it was a snapshot. Noriko's limbs had been splayed out across the couch and hanging off the ends even though she was small enough to fit comfortably on it with no problem. Her hair had been a complete mess with strands over her face and she'd had a funny expression, too, as if she was having a confusing dream. She hadn't looked peaceful, per se, she'd looked… she'd looked like she belonged.

"You knew she was yours."

Claire looked over at May, whose voice had been far stronger than it had been the whole rest of the conversation, and the pair shared a smile. It wasn't exactly pained, but it wasn't easy. There was camaraderie in it, as they both realized that the other one understood _._

"How can you stand it?" May asked, her voice low with emotion "How can you stand knowing she goes out every night and puts herself in danger?"

"By remembering that I have to," Claire said, a bitter smile on her expression "I realized early on that there was no way I could keep her from doing this and I decided I would rather she knew I was in her corner— that she could always come back to me for help— than for her to ever think she needed to hide something from me out of fear. She's going to do it no matter what I say; it's just a matter of what happens after."

"… What if she was already scared?" May asked quietly, now refusing to meet Claire's eyes "What if she was hiding things from you and it hurt her because of it?"

"I would remember that it wasn't too late," Claire said softly "I would remember that she loved me and she didn't want me to be upset, but she needed to do this. I would tell myself that even though I always thought of her as a kid, that she had strength even she didn't know about. I would realize that it didn't matter how sweet or kind she was, she is not someone to be taken lightly. And, the next time she went out there to do the things that _terrified_ me, the things she has to do, I would let her know I was right behind her… Hypothetically, of course."

Claire smiled as her last words actually managed to draw a chuckle from May, who leaned back against the counter and looked up towards the ceiling; tears still held in her eyes, but it was different now. There was a lightness to her form that made Claire optimistic.

"Noriko," May said, as if she was trying the name out on her tongue; like she was trying to envision her nephew with her "You know, Peter's… Peter's the type to feel very passionately, so if he has feelings for her… They're strong, I know it."

"Yeah, I can tell," Claire admitted, May smiling slightly before her expression became more apprehensive.

"And Noriko, she-she…" May's voice petered out as if she wasn't sure how to word her question in a way that wouldn't hurt Claire's feelings. But, Claire turned to face May head on and smiled indulgently.

"Noriko had a rough childhood, to say the least, and boys—and girls—were never really something she thought about like that. I honestly thought it might never come up," Claire confessed before her eyes lit up even more as she thought back "Then, one day, I found her making tea and she said she was making it because _Spider-Man_ like tea and that she was going to pick up sandwiches from her favorite deli because she wanted to give one to _Spider-Man_ and I knew right then. But Noriko, god, Noriko didn't realize what was going on until she was completely head over heels."

"Then what happened?" May asked, Claire's lips curling into a full on grin.

"I'm not sure," she said with a shrug "But I know that within a week I caught them cuddling."

.

Noriko watched with half-interest as Danny slowly breathed in and out. Luke was at the other end of the room talking to Stick and as much as she was sure that was a _fascinating_ conversation, it was best to keep an eye on this one; he was going to refocus his chi sooner or later and she'd like not to be surprised when he did. Noriko sort of thought he was so deep in his mediation he didn't notice her staring at him, but then he proved her wrong by speaking.

"How come you could stop my fist?"

"I don't know," she answered casually, Danny opening his eyes and sending her a look "Really, I don't… I guess it makes sense, though."

"What do you mean?" Danny asked with his face screwed up in that familiar expression.

"We're each other's antitheses," Noriko explained "You're a weapon of K'un-Lun, I'm a weapon of the Hand."

"If you're my opposite, how come you could stop my fist entirely?" He demanded, tipping his head the same way Noriko often did "Doesn't seem like a very fair fight."

Noriko frowned before tipping her head as well; the young woman looking over the man in front of her with a careful eye.

"You rely on your fist too much," she said simply "It would be completely fair if you fought at your fullest potential. In fact, you might have the upper hand."

"I _earned_ this power," Danny said, offence dripping from every part of him "I have every right to use it."

"Of course you do," Noriko agreed, pushing herself up onto her feet "But that doesn't mean you should all the time."

"What makes you say that?" Danny demanded, Noriko sending him a look and leaning in close so her answer didn't have to be any louder than a whisper.

"Because you could've gotten out of those ropes forty-five minutes ago."

Noriko stood up fully and turned around before Danny could fling whatever weak argument he had at her. But, she couldn't fully appreciate her closer as she noticed just how hard Luke was coughing.

"Are you alright?" She asked, crossing the room to stand next to the man who seemed to be choking. Before she could ask Stick what had happened, he held a pan up to her face; Noriko inhaling some of the smoke before she could stop herself. She stumbled back as she began coughing as well; only vaguely noticing what was happening around her as she tried to breath.

"I found a third option."

Noriko leaned against one of the walls and she heard Danny calling her name as if it was down a long hallway. It didn't make sense at first, her mind was too muddled, but as Stick started advance on Danny with his sword drawn, it clicked.

Through her foggy state, Noriko leapt forward, only for her attack to be easily blocked by Stick, who threw her to the ground. Her shallow breath became little more than squeaks as Stick pressed his boot to her throat and cut off what little air she'd been getting before. As she danced on the edge of blacking out, she distantly heard someone speak, although it was likely a yell.

"If you have to kill me, fine, but leave _her_ alone."

"The kid was right; you two are different sides of the same coin. And the only way to save New York is to get rid of _both_ of you," Stick said as if this was regretful, but necessary "I'm sorry. You did your best."

Just as the black started to take over most of her vision and Noriko began to resign herself to this being all she saw for the rest of time, there was a loud sound of metal on metal and the pressure on her neck lifted. After a few moments of catching her breath, Noriko became aware of who had prevented her murder.

Elektra.

And, although imminent death had been averted, the damage was done and Noriko dipped in and out of unconsciousness. She knew that she needed to get up, she needed to help, but no matter what her mind told her body, it didn't budge. Instead, she listened to the distant sounds of fighting as if it was just something on the TV as she dozed off.

The last thing she was aware of before total blackness was the sensation of someone rolling her onto her stomach.

.

"What's going on?"

All Peter could offer as an answer to Colleen's question was a halfhearted shrug as they both kept their eyes on the way the cops had started to move around more frantically. Peter pushed out from the table and went to poke his head out the doorway, Colleen on his heels, as both tried to figure out what had thrown the department into a frenzy. But, the moment he did that, he came face to face with the person who'd just been about to enter the office.

Aunt May.

There was a moment of awkward silence as the two Parkers looked at each other in shock; neither had expected to see the other in that moment and anything that they might've been planning on saying slipped out of their minds.

"Peter-," May finally managed, only to be cut off by the stronger voice from the woman behind her.

"Oh my god," Claire said, drawing the eyes of the other three to where she was sprinting. Before May could finish the sentence she'd started, Peter broke off from the group, standing on the opposite side of one of the gurneys as Claire.

"The medic says they're just unconscious," Misty reassured before either of them could say anything, Claire checking Noriko's and Luke's pulses regardless.

"What happened?" Peter asked as he took in Noriko's form; she looked even rougher than the last time he'd seen her. The jacket he'd lent her what seemed like years ago, but was really only a few days, was torn up even worse than before, with a worrisome amount of dark stains across it.

"I'm hoping they'll tell me," Misty said, looking at the group of four that'd been wheeled in "We found them like this; four unconscious, two dead. One stabbed and the other _beheaded."_

As those words sunk in for Peter, he didn't notice the movement behind him until Colleen's voice broke the silence with something possibly even more worrying than what had already been said.

"Where's Danny?"

.

The stillness in the break room was uncomfortable to the point that, if it was any other situation, Peter would be making as much sound as he possibly could. But, this wasn't his normal awkward quiet, this was true apprehension.

What if Noriko didn't wake up? What if whatever had happened to her was too much? What if the Hand succeeded in what they were trying to do?

Peter straightened up in his seat at that last one; the other two were out of his control, but he wouldn't let that happen. If… If something did happen to Noriko, now or later, he would do what she would want him to. He'd stop the Hand himself.

Even though that self-promise filled him with righteous adrenaline, that quickly disappeared and he was slumping back into the plastic seat again. He looked down at his watch, found that it had been five minutes since the last check, and reached forward to press to fingers to Noriko's pulse, just like Claire said.

Claire had to give him instructions on how to keep an eye on her since Misty maintained that they needed to keep all four of the people brought in separate. That hardly seemed fair to the woman who had a boyfriend and a kid mixed up in this, but a part of Peter understood why. Besides, he could keep an eye on her.

Peter was startled out of his reverie by the door opening, but instead of being Claire or Misty or even Colleen, May walked into the small break room. For a moment, the silence stayed heavy and awkward, until she spoke.

"How is she?"

"Her heart's getting faster, but it isn't spiking," Peter offered, thinking back to Claire's words as he kept his eyes on Noriko "I think she's okay. I'm not sure."

May nodded and for a moment it was quiet, until the sound of a chair being pulled across the ground broke it. She sat down in the seat she'd placed opposite of Peter, on the other side of the cot Noriko's unconscious form was on, and she kept her eyes on the girl her nephew had been so attentive to.

"I'm sure she'll be alright," May said softly, Peter making a noncommittal noise "You and Claire keep telling me how tough she is, I'm sure she can make it through this."

"She's not invincible, though," Peter murmured, looking at his Aunt with big eyes "Even if she acts like it."

"Gee, I wonder what it must feel like to be in your position."

Heat crept into Peter's cheeks and ears as the irony in what he'd just said hit him. He sent his Aunt a shamefaced looked before he opened his mouth.

"May-."

"Listen, Peter, I-."

Before either of the Parker could finish their sentences, something new cut them both off.

Both May and Peter jumped back as Noriko seemed to launch out of the cot; her expression wild as she took in the room around her, the girl clearly trying to get her bearings. May watched as the frantic girl laid eyes on her nephew and immediately calmed, like the sight of Peter was a sign that she was somewhere safe.

"What happened?" She asked, her voice a painful sounding rasp "Where are we?"

"The Harlem Police Department," Peter said, his voice surprisingly soothing despite the circumstances "And I-I don't know what happened. Four of you were brought in unconscious and Misty said they found you like that."

Noriko shut her eyes as a tight anger took over her form, like she was just remembering what had happened before they were found.

"I should've never trusted that _son of a bitch!"_ She said, accentuating her words with a kick to one of the folding tables. It was quiet for a moment as her rage died down and the full content of Peter's words sunk in "Four?"

"Yeah," Peter said, realizing what was going on "Danny Rand wasn't with you."

"Shit," Noriko said, more defeated now as she plopped down into one of the seats and buried her face in her hands. For a moment it was quiet as Noriko seemed to wrestle with whatever demons were plaguing her right now. Finally she lifted her head and sent Peter a lost look. But, before she could speak, the door opened and everyone straightened up as if they were hiding something.

"I heard yelling," Misty said, looking between the three people in the room with an unimpressed expression before focusing on Noriko "You… You look like shit."

"Trust me, I look better than I feel," Noriko bit out, Peter unable to stop the way his lip twitched at her tone.

"I was going to come in here to try to talk to you separately, but I think I'm just going to get the same icy response as your friends," Misty said before gesturing with her head "Come on, Captain wants to speak with all of you."

Noriko sighed before pushing herself out of the chair, Peter wincing when she did. He didn't know exactly how hurt she was, but for Noriko to outwardly react like that, then it must be quite a bit.

"H-Hold on."

All three of them looked over at May Parker in surprise; the woman pulling her hoodie over her head and holding it out to Noriko.

"Let's trade," she said, with a small reassuring smile. It took a moment, but Noriko shed the jacket covered in rips and blood and replaced it with what May had offered her.

"Sorry," Noriko said, only somewhat apologetic as she tossed Peter his jacket before she turned to May with a small, but genuine smile "Thank you."

"Come on," Misty said, sounding tough, but very obviously covering up a smile.

.

Captain Strieber thought of himself as real intimidating, Noriko could tell. But as he continued on the path of big bad police officer, she found herself caring less and less. In fact, even the threat of prison didn't get much more than an eyebrow raise from her. Her mind was far to occupied with what had happened earlier.

As much as Danny was headstrong and dumb, and he _was,_ he'd told Stick to back off of her and just kill him. She was usually the one volunteering her life in return for someone else's, it felt strange to be on the other side of that.

Her jaw clenched and she stood up straighter; no matter what threats that the police or the Hand threw at her, she was going to save Danny Rand.

"'We?' There is no 'we,'" Strieber was saying when she fully pulled herself back into the conversation. She'd vaguely heard the way he'd implied he'd arrest them if they didn't answer his questions and Luke had given him some general explanation before saying that the four of them were the only ones who could handle this "Vigilantes don't have jurisdiction, the NYPD does."

"Then why are vigilantes are always doing your job for you?" Noriko found herself saying, too much of a mess to care about the consequences.

"You should count yourself as _lucky,"_ Misty said before the Captain could throw her in cuffs "You wouldn't be here if you'd passed out on your back, because you would've choked to death on your own blood."

"Noriko," Matt murmured before speaking up "I apologize for my client; she's sixteen and hasn't slept in over forty-eight hours."

When Noriko muttered under her breath, the hand on her arm tightened and she shut up, if only for Matt's sake.

"Tell us where to find the Hand," Misty said, much kinder that Strieber "We can take it from there."

"We don't know."

Everyone turned to look at Noriko, whose voice was far more reasonable than it had been not thirty seconds ago. She looked at everyone in the room, significantly at those who stood with her, before she turned back to the Captain and Misty.

"Do you think we would've been kicking it in an abandoned warehouse if we did?" She asked, shrugging "We've got no idea."

It was quiet as the Captain took them all in. It was clear he didn't quite believe them, but Noriko's logic in her lie was solid enough that it was hard to question.

"Captain, before we move forward any further, I'd like a sidebar with my clients," Matt spoke up, Strieber sending him a look of death "Maybe we'll be able to recall something that could help along your investigation."

The Captain sent Misty a look, who sighed and nodded.

"Ten minutes."

.

In the distance, Matt could hear the heartbeats of his three clients—he might as well call them _friends_ now—as he made his way down the hallway. Karen had pulled him aside to chastise him about what was happening right now. And, yes, he wasn't happy about the immediate circumstances, but to be honest… This, all of this, felt right. He'd been stupid to lock away this part of him. To deny half of who he was.

"Excuse me," a squeaky voice said and a man—boy more like—passed by him, Matt catching a whiff of the cologne that the kid was wearing. Except, he'd smelled that exact scent before, only lighter, like it hadn't been applied but had rubbed off.

Rubbed off on _Noriko._

"Peter Parker?"

Matt listened as he froze in his spot, his heart picking up as he tried to figure out how the _hell_ a blind man he'd never met knew his name and recognized him.

"Y-Yes?" His voice faltered, Matt smiling slightly.

"Sorry," he said, holding his hand out in the general direction "I know Noriko."

"Yeah, it seems like everyone here does," Peter said, Matt's lips curling even more.

"I also know you're Spider-Man."

Peter gave a funny choked sound that actually coaxed a laugh from Matt, but instead of expecting Peter to fumble his way through a response or denial, he spoke again.

"And, since it's only fair, let me introduce myself. My name is Matthew Murdock. I'm Daredevil."

Once again, Matt chuckled at Peter's response, but this time the teenager managed to speak.

"Y-You're—B-But, you're-." Matt felt pleasant surprise as he heard the way Peter perked up "Oh, that is so cool."

"You're handling this better than most people do," Matt admitted, Peter shrugging.

"I stick to walls, my girlfriend was resurrected, what's a blind vigilante?"

"I'm glad you see it that way," Matt said truthfully; it was refreshing.

"L-Listen, is everything okay? You guys aren't getting arrested, are you?" Peter asked, Matt smiling at the legitimate worry in his voice. He knew very little about this kid, but there was no denying that he cared deeply for Noriko.

"Maybe, we'll see," Matt admitted, Peter running his fingers through his hair "But, the bigger problem is that the Hand got what they wanted."

"Danny Rand," Peter said, putting it together quickly.

"We told the police we don't know where their base is, but we might. Midland Circle, where it all started," Matt said, hearing how Peter's brow furrowed.

"N-Not that I don't appreciate it, but why are you telling me this?"

"Because I heard how Noriko told you she'd call you the moment we were in a fight," Matt said, leaning in conspiratorially "And I'm _hearing_ how she's rallying the other two to break out of here and go to Midland Circle."

"… You have very good hearing," Peter observed, Matt chuckling but not saying anything more on the matter. He knew Peter got his hint. But, before he left to face god knows what, he reached out and placed his hand on Peter's shoulder.

"Listen, I've got to go," Matt said, the words easy as he'd already planned them out a long time ago "I don't know much about you, just what Noriko and Claire have told me, but... The very first time I ever heard Noriko's heartrate pick up out of anything other than fear or physical exertion, was when she was telling me about you."

Matt smiled at the way Peter's heart stuttered and after one more clap on the shoulder, he walked away, towards the three heartbeats that needed his attention the most. But, before he could get through the door, he was stopped.

"We need to talk," Foggy said.

.

The clang of the doors shutting would've been startling if it weren't for the fact that the four people squished together were ready for anything at this point. They were quiet now, though, there was nothing to say. They Just allowed there to be silence as the train began to slowly move in the direction of Midland Circle; the calm before the storm.

But some of their silence was different from others.

Matt was uncomfortably aware of the fact that since he'd entered the room where the other three had been discussing their next step, Noriko had been quiet. She hadn't done much more than nod in agreement with their break out plan. After hearing her so passionately lobby to do this when he wasn't in the room, Matt couldn't help but wonder if he'd done something to upset her.

"Are you okay?" He asked lowly, Noriko looking at him sideways, but refusing to face him fully. It was quiet for a moment and Matt wondered if maybe she was truly mad at him about something before she spoke; her voice even more raspy and labored than it had been earlier.

"I lied."

"What-?" Matt started, his brow furrowing as he tried to figure out the context.

"I lied to you and Claire, Luke, Danny… Peter. Anyone who asked," she murmured, Luke and Jessica paying attention to her words now.

"What are you talking about?" Luke asked, gentle but apprehensive; he was worried this had something to do with what they were about to do. That this would affect the fight they were about to be in.

"I know how I died."

The reaction from the other three was instantaneous; Jessica's hand crumpled the beer can in her hand as they all readjusted in their seats to face Noriko more head on, even though she didn't meet their wide eyes. She just stared at the dirty metal that served as a floor on the train.

"I know _who_ killed me," she admitted lowly "… I've always known. I just…"

Her eyes shut as if the memory physically hurt her to think about and they all sensed, in one way or another, the single tear that slid down her cheek.

"Noriko…" Matt said gently; he didn't want to push, but it was obvious that she wanted, or maybe _needed,_ to tell them "What happened? Who killed you?"

Noriko opened her eyes and looked at Matt with shining eyes that threatened to let loose even more tears before she spoke in a voice that was barely above a whisper.

"I did."


	6. Psalm 23:4

**Suicide** **TW for the beginning of this chapter. Ends at** *.* **but is mentioned throughout**

.

.

.

She was fidgeting.

Alexandra hated it when she fidgeted. It was just a reminder that the girl that sat beside her was just that; a girl. She wasn't what she was meant to be yet. She had yet to reach the peak that destiny had long since chosen for her. With good reason, Alexandra reminded herself; they could cut her down now and grow her into the role she was meant for, but… Using the substance when it wasn't completely necessary was a waste. They'd all agreed on that. Just wait until her life cycled through as all did and revive her then. They had all the time in the world.

The SUV came to a stop in front of the restaurant. Alexandra sighed; she'd rather liked their Shakshuka. It had reminded her of lives long past lived and the heat of the North African sun beating on her head. But, there was no time for that now. Nostalgia would never be a saving grace.

Alexandra exited the car and headed to the front entrance, The Black Sky—or, at least, its vessel— close on her heels. The moment the door was opened for her by one of the many people in black that flanked her, she saw the focus of the day.

"Fatimah," She greeted woman as if this was any other day spent in her restaurant. As if she didn't have fear in her eyes as she was restrained by her men "I'm afraid today is not a pleasant one, so I will skip the pleasantries."

Something caught in Fatimah's throat as her eyes caught on the blades swinging from the small girl's belt as she moseyed around the establishment. Alexandra resisted the urge to grab her by the arm and pull her to stand beside her; the appearance of complete control needed to be maintained and it was better to allow those who may talk believe that her interest in the restaurant around her was nothing important and not the wide eyed curiosity of a child.

"It has come to my attention that my patronage here is not as private as I thought it was," Alexandra continued "And that the words I've exchanged with my associates have not remained in this restaurant. I have lived long enough to know that money will not loosen a wall's tongue, but it will cause humans to reveal all they know."

"There was no money," Fatimah protested, tears in her eyes as she began to plead for what she knew was already forfeited "I didn't even realize what was happening. Who I was speaking to."

"I know," Alexandra said, her voice too kind for the setting "In fact, I'm certain that you didn't let anything of importance slip through the cracks. You know nothing of importance. But, sadly, that is not the point. Our organization relies on complete secrecy and when someone— _anyone—_ stands in the way of that, they need to be dealt with."

Fatimah's lips trembled only to break any composure she had and launch her into full blown sobs. Alexandra watched with disinterest as she cried and begged for forgiveness or at least her life before she turned to look at the Black Sky. Instead of looking around the restaurant, she was staring at the hysterical woman with an indiscernible expression.

Alexandra sighed, this made sense. She'd cut down armies worth of people, but that's what they'd been; armies. Usually soldiers of the Hand who gave their lives to train the Black Sky, but enough of the enemy's to harden her towards killing the willing and unwilling. But, they were all worthy fighters who went to death's embrace with a straight back. She'd yet to kill a noncombatant and it was likely confusing her why Fatimah was having this response to her fate.

"You will need to get used to this, My Child," Alexandra said lowly, the Black Sky moving her eyes to her "Most people will not greet death with grace and you should not expect them to. Their lives are a line while ours is a circle."

She looked at Alexandra with a strange glint in her dark eyes, but she said nothing. Instead, she stood still, waiting for whatever Alexandra would order her.

"Kill her," she said simply, the sounds of Fatimah's cries getting louder "Make it quick."

The Black Sky moved forward to where Fatimah was forced to her knees; the young girl drawing one of her Kodachis and placing it on the neck of the woman desperately whispering for mercy. For a moment it was quiet as they all waited for her to raise her blade and end Fatimah's terror.

But the swing never came.

The small blade slipped off of Fatimah's shoulder, the woman thanking her profusely, and the Black Sky turned to Alexandra, whose brow was furrowed with concern. For a moment, it was quiet.

"I don't want to."

Alexandra straightened up as realization washed over her. This something she'd anticipated coming from her eventually, but never in this setting. While she lived her first life, there would always be the risk of refusal of orders. But, these orders, killing, should be the ones she embraced wholeheartedly.

It didn't matter, though; she'd long since planned her words for this moment.

"My Child," Alexandra said as she stepped closer, her voice even and kind; no need to provoke her with aggression "I understand you're confusion. I have told you since our meeting that we serve life itself. You must be asking yourself how killing this woman brings us closer to our goal. But, I promise you that no matter what orders you receive, they will always aid the Hand in serving our purpose."

Alexandra stood close now; the space between them making it impossible for either to look anywhere but each other. Quicker than most could comprehend, Alexandra's hand snaked out and grabbed the second Kodachi from her belt. The one that remained with the child remained secure in her tight grip, but did not raise even as Alexandra swung around its twin.

"You are the Black Sky," she said simply "Your purpose, your destiny since birth, is to serve the Hand. To serve life itself. If you fail that, if you _refuse_ that, then you have no use to me."

The threat was made clear when Alexandra rested the blade on the juncture between the girl's shoulder and neck. The Black Sky gave her an unfathomable look before she turned to face Fatimah, who seemed to have calmed down and instead of begging, just looked at her with commiseration, something that Alexandra noticed as she slid the blade off of the child. It was unclear if the girl noticed, though, and even if she did, if she would fully understand the weight of what she was seeing.

Instead she looked back to Alexandra with that same look, one that seemed to try to convey something that Alexandra couldn't quite grasp. But, she seemed to realize that her position would not change with any amount of significant gazes and she raised the blade yet again.

But, before anyone could comprehend what was happening, her quick fingers flipped the blade around and then…

Alexandra watched helplessly as the Black Sky fell to the ground.

Dead.

*.*

"Parker."

Peter immediately felt guilty even though he'd done absolutely nothing wrong and he turned to face Misty with a forced casual expression.

"D-Detective, hi," he managed, his wobbly voice doing nothing to deter the serious look that Misty was giving him.

"Where did she go?"

"Wha—?" Peter asked, his brow furrowing even though the girl she was speaking about had popped into his mind the moment she'd asked.

"Noriko," Misty said as if she realized that Peter was purposefully playing dumb "She and the other three are missing and if anyone in this goddamn precinct knows what's going on right now, it's you. Where did she go?"

"I don't know," Peter protested, his unsteady voice coming in handy now while he did that thing with his eyes that always made Noriko grumble and agree to whatever he was asking of her "I-I thought that the police said those two powered people k-kidnapped her and the blind man. Th-They wouldn't _hurt_ her, would they?"

"Cut the _bullshit,_ Parker," Misty said, not bending at all to the show Peter put on and instead seeming to get even angrier because of it "You and I both know that Noriko Temple has never done a _goddamn_ thing she didn't want to. Now, I am trying to help them. Whatever those four and Danny Rand are wrapped up in is some deep and serious _shit._ They are going to get themselves killed and if they don't, Strieber is going to bury them so deep they won't see the light of day ever again. _Where did she go?"_

"I—I—."

 _"Excuse_ me, Detective."

Misty and Peter looked over to see May Parker stalking forward with her hands on her hips in the way that Peter recognized from her occasional confrontations with school faculty.

"Why are you harassing my nephew?" She demanded once she was standing opposite of Misty "If he says he doesn't know where they are, then he doesn't know."

"Mrs. Parker—," Misty said calmly in an attempt to defuse the anger in her words.

"It's not his fault that your police are so incompetent," May said, plowing on "Shouldn't you be focusing finding them rather than pestering a teenage boy who doesn't know anything?"

"Mrs.—."

"I mean, what if something _happens_ to Noriko?" May said, drawing the attention of the few officers around them as she started to become hysterical "Who knows what those people will do to her! She's just a child!"

 _"Mrs. Parker!"_ Misty exclaimed, finally managing to get a word in edgewise. But, instead of taking it to _enlighten_ May of exactly what her nephew got up to, she looked around the precinct at her fellow officers before returning to May and Peter with a tight lipped smile "… Thank you for your time."

The Parkers watched as the Detective gave them one last look before she turned on her heel and walked away; the pair silent until it was obvious that all of the officers had returned to their work.

"You know where she is," May said through her teeth, without looking over at her nephew.

"Yeah," Peter confirmed, his aunt sighing and finally looking over to him with a resigned but strong expression on her face.

"I can't…" May took a deep breath as her emotions took over for a moment "I can't stop you from going, but… Come back. I'll be here."

Of all the words that Peter expected from his aunt on the topic of Spider-Man, those hadn't ever even occurred to him to be a possibility. For a moment, he looked at her with shock plain on his face, which made May smile ruefully and reach out to gently squeeze his hand.

"Go," she said softly, Peter looking at her for a moment more and hoping that would convey everything he needed her to know before he turned and headed out of the office; his mind dead set on getting to Midland Circle, to Noriko.

His senses, on the other hand, had a different idea.

 _"Goddamn it."_

Peter found his feet taking him towards the muttered expletive and as he turned down a hallway, he came face-to-face with a disheartened looking Colleen leaning against a door with her eyes shut.

"What's wrong?" Peter asked, Colleen opening her eyes to see who had found her and snorting when she realized he was someone she could trust.

"I thought I would be able to do _one_ thing to help, but apparently not," she said, Peter feeling a little bit bad as he heard the upset in her voice.

"Hey…" he said softly before his eyes traveled from the woman to the door behind her "Were you trying to get in there?"

"Locked," Colleen said, shaking her head like she was annoyed that she hadn't realized it would be "Misty probably has the keys."

Peter sighed and looked at the door a moment longer before he threw a look over his shoulder to make sure that no one was nearby. Finally, once he deemed it safe, he stepped forward and put his hand around the doorknob; Colleen moving away from the door with a frown on her face as Peter muttered under his breath.

"Don't tell."

A quick push was all it took to break the lock and Peter took a deep breath before looking over at Colleen and finding the shocked expression he'd been expecting.

"How did you…?" She trailed off, looking down at where Peter's hand was still wrapped around the handle. But, she didn't continue and instead just shut her mouth and nodded at him; both of them smiling slightly at the newfound camaraderie.

Colleen entered the storage room with Peter on her heels; the latter unsure what they were looking for, but willing to follow Colleen's lead if it meant helping Noriko, which he bet it did. Peter's nose wrinkled at the funny smell coming from somewhere in the room as he watched Colleen riffle through the evidence. She seemed to find what she was looking for and unfolded a large piece of paper; the young man speaking as soon as he realized what he was looking at.

"Midland Circle."

Colleen looked away from the blueprints and to Peter, both of them exchanging a look before he spoke again.

"That's where they were headed. They think that's where the Hand is."

"Where Danny is," Colleen murmured softly, Peter nodding in agreement before his attention shifted. He'd been able to pinpoint where that weird plastic scent was coming from and he walked a few steps to his left to unzip the duffel bag that was the source. For a moment, he didn't quite realize what he was looking at, but once he picked it up and read the small print, he felt his stomach drop in tandem with him dropping the brick back into the bag.

"Oh my god, this is C-4."

Colleen took no notice of the way his voice raised a pitch before it broke completely and she instead stepped forward to look at what he'd discovered. She glanced back down at the schematics she'd found and, all it once, it made sense.

"The architect…" She said softly, those two words just enough to make Peter realize just what had been going on.

"Oh my god," he said, without the hysterics this time, despite the fact that this really should elect some strong, _fearful_ emotions in him.

"Peter…" Colleen said quietly, Peter tearing his wide eyes from the explosives and to where she was looking at him. Without saying a word, they both knew what the other one was thinking. What the other knew they _had_ to do.

.

"We have time to grab a drink? Or three?"

"Seconded."

The two adults couldn't help the look of surprise they sent the girl that stood to their left. Noriko had been silent ever since she'd explained how her memories of the situation surrounding it were muddled, but she clearly remembered the moment she made up her mind. The moment she'd plunged that blade into her chest.

"Having second thoughts?" Luke asked apprehensively, Noriko sending him a sideways look before she shook her head. It occurred to him that maybe she thought she couldn't "What about you?"

"No," Jessica answered before shrugging "Maybe. You?"

"No," Luke said before he sighed and broke the same way Jessica did "Maybe."

"I doubt the front door is unlocked," Noriko said observationally, not commenting on her companions' hesitation; she knew that they were all in "How are we going to get inside?"

"Back entrance. Parking garage," Luke said, sending the two women a look before he expanded "I came looking for Danny a couple days ago. That's how I got in."

"A couple of _days?"_ Jessica demanded, her eyes wide "God, that feels like three weeks ago."

"It's been a _long_ 72 hours," Noriko murmured, the suggestion of her words knocking on the back of the minds of the two people beside her and the man that heard her as he approached them. But, before any of them could truly comprehend what they'd heard, Matt joined the group and they were momentarily distracted.

"There it is again," Jessica murmured and for the first time since the train ride, Noriko cracked a smile.

"Welcome back, Horns," Noriko said, Matt gently knocking the back of hand against hers.

For a moment, the group of four was silent as they looked up at Midland Circle. What had once been innocuous in the sea of New York high-rises was now something else entirely. A looming symbol of the Hand that felt a little too final for anyone's comfort.

But, the words that Noriko had spoken—or, at least, the _implied_ ones—returned to all four of them and they walked forward with more conviction than fear.

 _It's been a long life._

.

When the palette of cinder blocks was pushed forward by Gao, Matt and Noriko jumped over it to charge at the three fingers of the Hand, while Jessica stood beside Luke, who stopped it in its tracks. While Matt began to trade blows with Bakuto, Noriko and Murakami were at each other's throats once again.

Of all her time knowing him, Noriko had only fought side by side like this with Matt once; the first time they'd ever met. Even then, though, it hadn't held the significance that maybe it should've. She didn't know who he was; all she'd known was that a man in a mask had found her in that horrible farm and that he was promising her that he'd help her escape. On the other side, all Matt had seen was a scared child being held captive; he hadn't expected her to lash out at Nobu like that.

But now, they knew better. Noriko knew that the man next to her was called many things by the people of New York, but to her he was either Akuma-san or Matt, depending on how she felt. Meanwhile, Matt knew the full extent of what the teenage girl beside him could be, but he also knew exactly what she _chose_ to be. What they both chose to be.

The Black Sky and the Devil of Hell's Kitchen.

Noriko was definitely starting to feel the toll of spending the past few days fighting more than sleeping, but she pushed herself harder in her fight against Murakami and, as an extension, Bakuto. It was clear to her enemies, though, that fighting against her and Daredevil would result in a loss, so when Murakami had that chance, he drove her away from Matt and to the other side of the parking garage.

As their blows got harder and faster, Noriko started to tune out the rest of the world around her; she didn't notice how Luke and Jessica continued to be thrown around by Gao, or how Bakuto was destroying cinder blocks in an attempt to end Matt, or the sounds of light footsteps on the stairwell.

The wind was knocked out of Noriko as Murakami slammed her onto the ground, but that wasn't enough to stop her from catching the knife he attempted to bury in her chest. For a moment, there was stillness as the pair struggled against each other's strength; neither able to push the knife farther than a centimeter. But, before Noriko could break this position and go back to the fight, Murakami suddenly went flying back and skidded across the floor.

"Peter?"

The teenage boy in question gave Noriko a relieved smile and helped her get to her feet.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his eyes running over her form as if he could do anything if she was hurt.

"I…" Noriko started, but felt she couldn't finish. In fact, the world blurred just like it had during her fight with Murakami, only now for a different reason "What're you doing here, Peter?"

"Colleen and I came to help," Peter said like it was the most obvious thing in the world "W-We have this idea, but I'm not sure what you're gonna think of it."

"What's the-."

Before Noriko could finish her question, there was a sharp sound and both teens turned to watch Bakuto run his sword across the floor to create a spark; the gas from an open pipe combusting and making a wall of fire. Once Luke managed to crush the pipe and stop the gas from blowing out, it was clear that the three warriors they'd faced were long gone.

"Is everyone okay?" Matt asked, a very simplistic question for the current scenario.

"Okay is long gone," Jessica replied, speaking for everyone in the room.

"Hey," Luke said, noticing the newcomers for the first time "You two should be at the precinct."

Peter and Colleen exchanged an incredulous look before the latter turned back to Luke and spoke.

"You're welcome."

While Luke rolled his eyes, Noriko sidled up to Peter; moving her head so it was practically resting on his shoulder so she could whisper, although she knew that with his abilities she could speak softly across the room and he'd probably catch it.

"Thank you for coming," she murmured "And for saving me."

"Y-You would've gotten out of that without my help," Peter replied, unclear if the small smile on his face and the light blush on his cheeks were a product of the words or the physical closeness.

"Still," she didn't bother to deny it "Thanks."

Noriko then pressed her cheek against his shoulder in a rare initiation of affection that left Peter's cheeks a bright red that was thankfully hard to see in the dim lighting of the parking garage.

"What's in the bag?" Jessica asked, Peter's eyes catching on how Colleen hefted the duffel over her shoulder. His attention shift did not go unnoticed by the girl beside him and she frowned as she looked at the item that must have something to do with this idea he and Colleen had.

"I'm here to save Danny and make sure no one gets hurt ever again," Colleen replied, Noriko turning her curious eyes to Peter as Jessica spoke.

"How does that answer my question?"

Before Peter could answer Noriko's unspoken question, everyone froze as a car pulled into the parking garage; the driver and passenger doors opening to reveal Misty and Claire. Peter and Noriko exchanged apprehensive looks as they watched how the detective stalked towards their group.

"What happened here?" Claire demanded, looking between all six of the people she'd kept from bleeding out at some point.

"Too much to cover," Noriko replied.

"Too bad," Misty said "You got a minute before the full force of the NYPD is here, so I need this answer fast. How long you want me to stall 'em?"

.

There was something eerie about the empty lobby of Midland Circle; just days ago, it had been bustling when the five walked through it and eventually met at the top floor. But, now it was silent as the seven people caught their breath after running up the stairs and tried to come up with their next step.

"Where's Danny?" Colleen asked the pressing question.

"He's gotta be underground, right?" Noriko offered, thinking back to Matt's information about the hole under the building they were in "Only place that makes sense."

"There's a structure down there," Matt agreed.

"How do we get to it?" Jessica asked the next pressing question, which got more lackluster results.

"Figuring that out."

"What's this idea that you and Colleen had?" Noriko asked, standing opposite of Peter now, but close enough the no one else could hear them "What's in the bag?"

"Well, um," Peter stumbled, unsure how to explain this "It's gonna—It's gonna sound crazy."

"At this point, I think crazy is becoming our only option," Noriko replied, the two teens exchanging wry smiles.

"There's an elevator this way," Matt said, catching the attention of everyone "It goes deep."

"Think he's down there?" Jessica asked.

"Let's find out," Matt replied, but before they could do as he said, there was an interruption that caused everyone to freeze in their tracks.

"Just one more thing," Colleen said, unzipping the bag to reveal just what she and Peter had brought. The reaction was instantaneous; the faces of everyone but Peter and Colleen going slack with disbelief as they took in the duffel full of explosives. Noriko's head snapped to Peter with her emotions plain in her expression, which was a rare occurrence.

"Told you it would sound crazy," he said, Noriko giving him one last look before turning back to Colleen when she spoke.

"We grab Danny and we get him out, but if we don't end the Hand… sooner or later, they'll come after us."

"This is not happening," Jessica said for the second time in that many minutes.

"The architect, he was your guy, right?" Colleen asked, Jessica rolling her eyes.

"Don't put this shit on me."

"He-He worked on this design," Peter interjected, gesturing towards the blueprint that Colleen was unfolding "He was planning to collapse the building right into the hole underneath. I-I don't know that much about explosives, but I know some and the placement looks right. We just need to put the C-4 where he said to."

"Well, if the _middle schooler_ says so," Jessica lashed out again, the fact that she was reacting out of fear keeping Peter from getting too hurt from that jab.

"Listen, I want to save Danny too, but not like this," Claire said, ever the mediator as she looked between Colleen and Peter. It was clear, though, her focus was more on the teenager; of all the people to suggest explosive murder, Peter Parker wouldn't cross her mind in a million years.

"They'll have us on obstruction of justice and domestic terrorism," Jessica said, making a good point through her anger.

"This isn't just about Danny. It's about New York," Colleen said, her eyes going around the room and meeting each person's "You know these people, Claire. They are _relentless."_

"There's no guarantee that exploding this building ends their organization," Jessica pointed out.

"Without their leaders, the Hand is just a bunch of brainwashed soldiers," Noriko said with an even voice, drawing all attention to her "Without any guidance, they'll fracture. The strongest they could be is a street gang."

"You're going along with this?" Luke demanded, Noriko licking her lips and looking down at the floor "I thought the point of the Black Sky was to save lives, not take them."

Peter felt the sting of those words just as acutely as Noriko did, but before he could open his mouth and say something he usually wouldn't if it weren't for the fact he cared deeply for his girlfriend, she spoke.

"It doesn't matter," Noriko's voice soft but genuine "These people are already dead."

"Plus the building is empty."

Everyone's eyes turned to Matt as he spoke for the first time since the inception of this conversation

"There's no one else here. It's us and them," he continued.

"You're okay with this?" Claire demanded, Noriko made sense, but the Catholic martyr she knew wouldn't have gone along with murder of any type. But… maybe this was different. Maybe the same reasoning was filling the heads of the Hell's Kitchen native and the kid from Queens. The same reasoning that was currently invading Claire's mind.

"I mean, no, but they're right," Matt said, nodding towards Peter and Colleen "And the architect knew it. The only way to end this, to save the city from whatever's coming, is to bring this building down."

"I don't care how dangerous you say these people are," Luke said, taking advantage of Matt's pause to voice his protest "I don't want any part of this."

"We're here to get Danny, but Colleen and Peter are right, this won't end there," Matt said, Noriko listening as he moved further and further away from the Devil of Hell's Kitchen and closer to the attorney Matt Murdock "The Hand will keep coming after us. This is our chance to shut 'em down for good."

"They might disappear for a while, but one day they will come back," Noriko added, her voice lower now as she drew on every nightmare she'd had in an attempt to convince Luke "And they will slaughter us and the people we care about. You said we're here to save lives, well, this is the _only_ way to do that."

"I get that you have a history with these people…" Luke started, but was unable to finish.

"This isn't about me. This isn't about _any_ of us," Noriko said, shutting her eyes and taking a deep breath before she spoke again "This is about the people of New York, of the _world…_ This is about that kid in Harlem."

"Detonating a bomb here won't fix what happened to him. Okay? Not by a long shot," Luke said, peeved that Noriko had gone for that sore spot.

"No, but it might help everyone else who will be in danger," Matt pointed out, Noriko nodding.

"People _will_ die, Luke."

For a moment, it was quiet as everyone wondered if Luke was finally going to crack.

"I just can't go along with this."

Noriko sighed, but her disappointment didn't take over her thoughts. Instead, Peter slipped his hand into hers and squeezed it gently, Noriko getting his message loud and clear.

 _Even if it's just the two of us, we'll handle this._

But, it was becoming abundantly clear it wasn't going to be just Spider-Man and the Black Sky ending the Hand. Luke's G rated swears were the emphasis to the words of Claire and Jessica as they both flipped. In fact, it was suddenly becoming a one v. all issue; Luke the only one that stood in the way of carrying out the architects plan.

And, in a twist of events that no one could've predicted, his resolve began to crumble.

"If we do this no one but those Hand monsters gets hurt," Luke said, each person's impassioned speech having chipped away at his will "Okay? Not one single innocent person. Can we all agree to that?"

Once it was clear that everyone would follow that rule, Luke spoke again.

"Okay, you being here is… tolerable," he said, pointing at Noriko "I've seen you go against that woman—Elektra—and come out on top, so fine, you can stay. But, _you_ need to go."

"But—." Peter started with an affronted expression, only to be cut off before he could finish.

"I understand you two have some weird business going on," Luke said as he advanced on the teenage couple, sending Noriko a quick, judgmental look before he turned back to Peter "But I'm not putting another kid in danger."

"I'm not leaving!" Peter exclaimed, the fact that his voice reached a new level of squeaky in that sentence not helping his case.

"Kid…" Luke said with a sigh, placing his hand on Peter's shoulder "I understand that you want to help, but…"

Luke trailed off and for a moment it was quiet as neither man moved even slightly.

Noriko's brow furrowed as she tried to figure out what she was missing, but it wasn't until she heard the soft exhale of amusement from Matt did she start to realize what was happening. Peter's pout paired with Luke's furrowed brow and tense arm suddenly made sense.

Luke was _pushing._

Right after it clicked in Noriko's mind, Peter reached up and peeled his hand off of his shoulder; a heavy stillness filling the room as everybody realized that Luke had not allowed him to do that. Then, Peter let go with what Noriko knew to be a light shove and sent Luke back a few steps.

For a moment it was dead silent.

"Is there a single person I've met in the past week that is _normal?"_

Luke's strong façade cracked on the last word and his voice raised just enough to reveal the hysterics the current situation.

"Please, tell me you're just a kid that happens to have super strength," Jessica muttered, giving Peter a tired look. But, before Peter could open his mouth and either lie for everyone else's comfort or stumble through an explanation, Noriko spoke nonchalantly.

"He's Spider-Man."

"Sweet Christmas."

.

"That architect guy was planning on putting explosives in the building's structural center," Peter explained as the group surrounded the blueprint; the only technical minded one taking the lead.

"Where are the support beams?" Noriko asked, looking over his shoulder and, despite the current dire situation, Peter couldn't help the way he flushed at the way she was pressed against him.

"Um, hm, probably here and here, I-I think," he stumbled over his words this time, neither of the teenagers catching how Matt's lip twitched "But, they'll need to be on the-the first five levels or else we run the risk of, um, tipping."

"The elevators are out," Matt said suddenly, his head lolling to the side as he surveyed the building "And all the interior stairwells are either blocked or the doors are locked."

"We can just break them down," Colleen pointed out, but Matt shook his head.

"The doors are thick. I mean, yeah, _eventually_ we could break them down. But, even if it was Luke, it would take time."

"Time we don't have," Jessica finished, swearing under her breath. Now that she'd agreed to blow up the building, she didn't want to deal with anything getting in their way.

"What about the elevator doors?"

All of the adults' confused eyes turned to Noriko, who didn't falter in the slightest despite her strange question.

"They're normal," Matt offered, putting together why she was asking "You could pry them open pretty easily."

"And the shaft?"

"Clear all the way up."

Noriko's eyes now landed on Peter, who— after a moment of eye contact— sighed, grabbed the bag of C-4, and spoke.

"Nothing good ever happens in elevator shafts."

.

"Please be careful."

Peter smiled softly at Noriko's quiet words; it was clear that she wasn't quite sure of how to do this. Danger was a part of their lives, but usually she was side-by-side with him when it came. Not on two different sides of the battlefield.

"I should be saying that to you," Peter replied, his own anxiety over what was going to happen next setting in "You're-You're the one who's going to go fight an army."

"It's a dark day when planting C-4 is the less risky of two jobs," Noriko murmured, managing to draw a giggle out of Peter. But, that moment of brief levity passed and when Peter spoke again, his words were serious.

"You'll-You'll be careful, though, right?" His eyes flittering all over her form, trying to find a tell to her current thoughts "'Cause I know with all of this Hand stuff and Elektra is lot and-and-and—."

"Peter," Noriko cut him off, putting her hands on his shoulders "I'll be careful. I'm not… I'm not going to take risks just because of who we're fighting, okay?

"Okay," Peter murmured in response, placing his hands on her hips and, for a moment, it was quiet between them. They just looked at each other; both considering how wrong the current circumstances could end. But, neither were worrying for themselves.

Noriko reached up and gently tucked one of Peter's errant strands behind his ear; usually his hair was plastered in place by whatever products he used to shape it, but right now it was soft and a little bit wild. When her hand lowered back down, it stopped early on the side of his neck and Noriko smiled faintly as Peter leaned into it slightly. It took Noriko a moment to realize it, but it soon became clear that Peter's trajectory was changing; he was still leaning, only this time _closer_ to her. And Noriko was moving with him.

"Alright, kid, the doors are open and—oh."

Noriko and Peter both took a step back the moment they heard Luke speak, but it was still abundantly clear to him what had been about to transpire if he hadn't interrupted. Peter's red cheeks and Noriko's dirty look only cementing those suspicions.

"See you soon," Peter said, a subtle promise to his words and the soft squeeze he gave her hand. Noriko smiled slightly and nodded, but that soft expression slipped away as he pulled away from her and head to the now open elevator doors.

Noriko watched him until he climbed up on top of the elevator and was out of sight; the reassurance that he was headed up coming in the form of Jessica, who was standing in the elevator and looking up into the shaft, muttering under her breath "Jesus _Christ,_ that's freaky."

"Listen, Noriko—." Luke started, Noriko pulling her eyes away from where Peter had last been seen and speaking before he could continue.

"I could murder you right now, Luke."

.

Noriko's sour attitude mellowed out as she watched Luke tear away part of one of the walls to reveal an elevator that led down into a hole so dark and deep that they couldn't even fathom how far down the bottom was. Even Matt, with his superior senses, couldn't get an idea of exactly how deep into the ground it went.

"The more I think about it, the less I like our odds," Luke said, voicing the feelings of the four people looking into the abyss.

"Yeah, well, do like me," Matt said "Don't think about it."

"You need therapy, Matthew," Noriko murmured, the costumed man's lip twitching slightly. But, even though they could, none of them moved towards the elevator. They didn't want to admit it, but none of them wanted to be the one who took the first step. Maybe they could stand here trading quips forever.

"If you told me a week ago that I'd be here with you three, about to blow up some building and fight ninjas to save New York…" Jessica trailed off, shaking her head at the absurdity of it all. Even Noriko, who had, in a way, been preparing for this her entire second life couldn't help but agree with Jessica's estimation of the situation.

"For whatever it's worth, I'm glad you're here," Matt said casually, Jessica's face screwing up.

"What?"

"Well, the circumstances could be better," Matt said, looking over at the three people to his left "I'm just saying, you know, I'm glad we found each other."

For a moment, quiet.

"I'm not hugging you," Luke said, Matt sighing and rolling his eyes.

"You guys ready or what?" Jessica asked, ignoring the exchange between the two men for the most part.

"No," Luke said.

"No," Matt agreed.

"Go team go," Noriko muttered sarcastically before she took a deep breath, exchanged a quick look with the people around her, and broke the hold that had been over them.

Once she'd stepped out onto the platform, the adults followed behind her and they all piled into the elevator that made Noriko more nervous than anything else. Once it started its descent, Noriko voiced her concerns.

"There's going to be a small army down there and they're going to hear us coming," she said, looking between the group "We need a plan."

"I've got one," Luke offered to the surprised group before he turned to face Noriko "But you're not gonna like it."

.

Noriko took a deep breath as the elevator creaked down to finally reveal the people she'd known were waiting for her. As she came face to face with Elektra, Gao, and around thirty members of the Hand, she found her eyes finding the odd man out; she and Danny exchanging a look that Noriko hoped would convey the needed information.

Once the elevator came to a shaky stop, Noriko lifted her hands over her head and gently pushed the door open. Her movements were slow as she took a step outside of the elevator; the teen not wanting to startle any of the people pointing weapons at her or Danny.

"I just want to talk," Noriko said, focusing on the woman in front "Elektra…"

As the woman in question's lips pulled upwards, Noriko realized that in the time since she'd last seen her Elektra's mental state had changed.

"I don't want to fight," Noriko said, her voice the soft plead like it always was when she dealt with someone about to commit a crime "But, please, stop this. Come back home… Come back to Matthew. Don't go through with this, Elektra; you'd be killing over eight million people."

Noriko watched as Elektra tipped her head in an eerie similarity to her own common movement and as she looked into her eyes, she no longer saw the empty blackness of the weapon of the Hand. Instead, there was interest and conviction and _sympathy._ One way or another, Elektra Natchios was back.

She took a step forward and, although a part of her brain thought she ought to flinch back, Noriko found herself holding steady as Elektra neared. She wasn't filled with dread or fear when she looked at Elektra, but instead a strange link that she couldn't quite quantify. It was the same feeling as the one that encompassed her in that kitchen all those months ago.

"I'm sorry, Noriko." Elektra's voice could almost be categorized as _gentle_ "But those people are already dead."

Noriko let go of a breath she hadn't even known she'd been holding and her entire body seemed to deflate slightly. Her shoulders drooped as her eyes found the floor as the inevitability of this situation sunk in. Only after a moment of regaining her composure did she raise her head and look into the eyes that were too similar for comfort.

"I told you, I don't want to fight you," Noriko said, her voice low "But I will… Just not alone."

Noriko sent a powerful hit right to Elektra's center, which sent her stumbling backwards as the other three swung down from the top of the elevator; Matt and Luke managing to land hits on men as they landed, while Jessica fell on her stomach and gave an impressive string of expletives. Danny took that as his cue and attacked the member of the Hand who had been holding a gun to his head; all five of them finding more than enough to occupy them in this moment.

As Noriko beat her way through soldier after soldier, she couldn't help but wonder why only a fraction of the Hand was underground with them. Alexandra had always stressed the importance of this undertaking and the fact she wasn't here for it seemed strange. And they already knew that Bakuto and Murakami were in the building— they'd fought them in the garage— so why weren't they here trying to protect the substance?

Those thoughts didn't stay with her long, though, as she started to focus on the problems at hand; each warrior that came at her crumbling under her power sooner rather than later.

As Noriko worked her way through the squadron, she realized that the five people who had sat around that table in the Royal Dragon were starting to unthinkingly congregate in the center of the room. She found herself standing between Luke and Matt and realized that, although none of them would admit it, they were all sending each other sideways looks to make sure the others were okay.

"They're gonna destroy the city," Danny said, Noriko nearly rolling her eyes. In her fervor to save him, she'd forgotten how dumb the Immortal Iron Fist could be.

"No shit," she replied before deciding to throw the guy a bone; she didn't know what he'd been through in the past couple of hours "We've got a plan."

"Where's Alexandra?" Matt asked, voicing one of Noriko's many questions.

"She's dead."

Everything froze.

An icy sensation ran down Noriko's spine before coming to a stop at the bottom of her stomach. The battlefield around her seemed to blur until it was just the dark colors and muffled sounds that surrounded her. For the first time since she'd woken up in that sarcophagus and gasped for breath around the crimson liquid that had entombed her, she felt _fragile._ She was certain that if someone nudged her right now she would shatter into a million splinters.

Alexandra was _dead._

Faintly, barely audible over the sound of nothing that was filling Noriko's ears, she heard the sound of Jessica's voice.

"Did you kill her?"

"No." She heard Danny reply _"She_ did."

Finally, her vision cleared enough for her to see exactly who Danny had been referring to. Elektra stood at the forefront of the soldiers again. And, although that freezing mass still weighed down her stomach, something burned in her chest and with it came the realization that the world was harsh and cold, but there might be some justice in it after all.

.

As Peter placed a block of the plastic explosive against one of the support beams on the fifth floor, he found himself wondering if this would be enough. There was always the possibility that the architect didn't have enough explosives to begin with. But, he supposed, it didn't matter now. It wasn't like he could run to the store and pick up some extra C-4.

He took a deep breath as he put down the bricks and considered the gravity of the situation. Sure, he'd been one of the people to suggest they blew up Midland Circle, but he hadn't fully been thinking about the consequences. That scary woman had been right; if they were caught, they would be arrested for much more than just vigilantism or obstruction of justice. Yeah, Aunt May had given him her permission to go, but he didn't think she had predicted the possibility of him being arrested for being a terrorist. Although, he had to admit, the idea of Mr. Stark waking up tomorrow morning and seeing his mugshot on the news for blowing up a building was pretty funny.

But, no amount of humorous takes on the subject could erase the fact that what they were doing was _serious._ They were destroying a building with the intention of killing the people underneath. The idea of that wouldn't have even crossed his mind a month ago and yet he'd _suggested_ it today. What the hell was happening to him?

 _Noriko._

The answer was stupidly obvious. Noriko was what was happening to him. It wasn't that she was compelling him to commit mass murder— she would never want him to do that— it was that he was feeling compelled to protect her. It was silly, he knew it was; Noriko was not a force to be reckoned with. But, at the same time… He didn't know the full extent of what the Hand did to her, but he did know how much pain it still caused her. She'd shown him her scars. She'd very nearly pushed him away out of fear of what would happen to him if he became involved with her. And… When he'd told her about the horrible nights he spent reliving the crushing weight of that building, she'd been able to give him advice from experience on how to get a handle on nightmares.

He just wanted her to be free.

Peter sighed as he placed the last of the C-4 and threw the bag aside; the back of his neck prickled, but that was to be expected. It wasn't like this was the safest place to be right now, especially if the two women on the ground floor had started the timer. For a moment, he considered finding them to help, but a far more attractive idea came to mind. If he could find the way down into the hole, he might be able to help Noriko and the others with fighting the Hand.

 _"Ooof!"_

Peter's pained grunt came as he landed face first on the ground; a sharp pain in his back from whatever had struck him. He scrambled to see what had hit him only for his body to freeze as he took in the man that stood above him; the same one that had Noriko had fought in his apartment building.

"Orokana otokonoko," he said as he loomed over Peter, who paled as he caught sight of the sword that he brandished "Anata wa hanarete ita hazudesu."

"I-I-I don't sp-speak Japanese," Peter heard himself stuttering out despite the fact that was the _least_ of his worries right now.

"Foolish boy," Murakami repeated as he looked down at Peter as if he was nothing "You should've stayed away."

.

Although the battle raged on around her, Noriko's mind focused only on the fight she was currently in. She and Elektra had not fought since their quick spat at the Royal Dragon before the latter had run off and Matt had followed. It was clear now that her estimation from the elevator had been correct; Elektra was of her own mind now, although, what she remembered was anyone's guess.

Her fighting was different now; it had changed in a way that Noriko assumed hers had once she'd broken free from the Hand. It was loose and unpredictable. The book that had been seared into the brains of the Black Skies had been thrown out by both women and they now adopted their own styles.

A small part of Noriko's mind observed that the rest of the army gave her and Elektra a wide berth as they fought. Maybe they were wary of coming into close proximity with two Black Skies, or maybe Elektra had given them orders before this fight to stay back. Noriko had no way of knowing their true motivations, but it didn't matter; her hands were more than enough full as she dealt with Elektra.

But, at some point, the Hand's expendable soldiers had been taken care of by the others and they joined in on her fight with Elektra. That might have been a mistake, though, as it soon became clear that only Noriko and Matt could truly hold their own against her; Danny, Luke, and Jessica cracking under her abilities.

But, this fight culminated with the latter of the three managing to grab Elektra and throw her into the wall a little bit away. Elektra's moments of pain that kept her from getting back up gave Matt the chance he needed to speak.

"You guys need to get to the surface."

"No complaints here," Jessica said, Noriko's brow furrowing at Matt's choice of words.

"What about you?" Danny asked, verbalizing everyone's unspoken question.

"No, I'm gonna meet you up there."

Noriko's expression dropped at the blasé way Matt had delivered that information. This was something she'd feared from the moment they'd decided to blow up Midland Circle and it seemed like Matt was going to play this true to his history; The Catholic Martyr.

"What?" Jessica demanded, looking at him like he was crazy, which wasn't a far off estimation.

"I can get through to her," Matt attempted to explain the decade's worth of motivation behind his choices as quickly as possible. He could hear how that bomb was slowly ticking down.

"Then I'm staying too."

While the others looked at Noriko with shock on their expressions, Matt's expression didn't change, but his shoulders drooped. He'd been dreading this response; the response he'd known would come.

"Noriko—." He started, only to be interrupted by the girl who stepped forward and closed the space between them.

"We have a better chance of getting through to her if it's both of us," Noriko said, her voice aggressive at first, only for it to lower into something soft that only she and Matt could hear "I won't leave you here."

Matt took a deep breath before reaching up to remove his helmet and reveal his face to her; a lump catching in Noriko's throat as she took in his expression. Once he'd dropped it to the ground, his hands landed on her shoulders then traveled down to her upper arms. Noriko was vaguely aware of the fact on her left side, she couldn't feel Matt's fingers wrapping around her arm, and instead felt the blunt edges of his Billy Club pressed in between his hand and her hoodie.

"Noriko, listen to me," he said, only for the two of them to hear "I'm where I need to be, but you're not."

"What're you talking about?" Noriko demanded, although her voice was still low.

"I can hear Peter on the fifth floor. Murakami is there."

Matt could hear the way the blood drained from Noriko's face, but he plowed on. He knew that this was the only way to get her out of this tomb before it was too late.

"I know Peter is strong, but you know he can't hold off Murakami; he has too much experience," Matt said, his hands tightening for a moment before they slipped down to her wrists and finally fell to his side "You need to go help him. I'll be okay."

"Okay," Noriko said, her voice rough now. Matt sighed and reached up again, only this time to put his hands on Noriko's cheeks so he could angle her head slightly and press a kiss to her forehead.

"Go." Was the final thing Matt said to Noriko.

She looked at him for a moment more before she tore herself away to join the others on the elevator, where Jessica pushed the button with a pained expression on her face. Although she'd willingly left, Noriko's eyes didn't leave Matt until the he disappeared from sight.

.

Peter put his hand over his mouth and shut his eyes; putting all of his cards in his hearing and sixth sense as he tried to stay silent in his spot behind one of the beams in the dark corner of the room. He could just barely hear the soft footfalls of Murakami as he stalked around the room. Peter could hardly believe he'd managed to get away in a manner that allowed him to hide, but it seemed as if the deadly member of the Hand truly didn't know where he was right now.

No sooner did Peter think that did the hair on his body stand on end and he leaped to the side, just dodging a blade that would have taken his head off.

"You are quicker than I expected, Otokonoko," Murakami observed, his gait focused as Peter stumbled before jumping over a desk to get away "But you are still just a child, standing on the edges of a world you do not belong in. A guileless boy following on the heels of a creature you cannot comprehend."

"You guys really like saying things that sound cool but don't mean anything," Peter replied, jumping out of the way of the sword again and this time landing on the other side of a cubicle; the teen immediately feeling uneasy when he lost sight of his foe.

"That is because you do not listen," Murakami's voice floated from an unknown location to Peter, who was slowly making his way through the maze of desks and cubicles "You should've stayed away. Away from this place. Away from the Black Sky."

This time, Peter's response was silence.

"She may be a girl in your eyes, but I see her for what she truly is. I see the death and chaos that resides inside her skin. She is not a girl to play your silly games with. She is not a girl at all. She is a wolf who has fooled you with her sheep's clothing. Eventually she will tear off that disguise, Otokonoko, and she will consume everything in her path… Except you."

Faster than even Peter's sense could warn him, Murakami came around the corner; his blade slicing deep into the back of Peter's arm, causing him to cry out as he was pushed to the ground.

"For you will be long dead."

Even though Peter was staring death in the face and his arm throbbed as he instinctively pressed against the cut to stop the bleeding, he spoke.

"You're wrong."

Murakami's lip twitched and he lowered his sword slightly to fully take in the boy underneath him.

"As I said, you do not belong in this world; you cannot comprehend the nature of the Black Sky."

"N-No, I get it," Peter replied, his words labored now as his arm continued to pain him "But, you say that Noriko is in disguise, but she's not. She's not hiding."

Murakami grunted as fingernails dug into his face and was thrown down against one of the desks; a sickening thunk echoing through the room as his head came into contact with the metal. Peter stumbled to his feet, still clutching his arm, and his eyes widened as he watched the two highly skilled fighters go at it faster than anything he'd ever witnessed before. Sure, he'd seen them fight in his apartment, but he hadn't been able to fully grasp what was happening. Now, though, he understood the wrath behind every blow Noriko exchanged with Murakami.

For a moment, he worried that the fight she'd been in before—and had clearly been injured from—tired her out too much for this current bout, but soon he found that fear was unfounded. Noriko tore through Murakami like he was tissue paper; pummeling him into the ground until there was no chance of him getting back up for a couple of hours at the very least.

During those moments of brutality and the silence that followed it, Peter's mind recalled the words Murakami had said as he'd hidden from him, the words about Noriko. He could almost see what he'd been talking about.

Then she turned to face him.

"Are you okay?" Noriko asked, her eyes filled with concern as she helped Peter stand back up; the teenage boy feeling a little bit silly for his prior thoughts. He'd already told Murakami the truth of the matter. Yes, she was the Black Sky, which meant violence and chaos. But, she was also Noriko Temple, which meant compassion and righteousness. There was no reason those two couldn't co-exist.

"Yeah, he just cut me," Peter admitted, wincing slightly as his hand peeled away from the gash to show Noriko. She frowned as she took in the blood that was starting to stain his jacket, but her mind was soon occupied with the more pressing danger.

"We need to get out of this building," she said hurriedly, heading towards the elevator shaft both she and Peter had climbed up "We've only got a few minutes before-."

"We've got forty-seven seconds."

Noriko whipped around to face Peter, both teens looking at each other with wide eyes.

"I heard it when it started, I was timing it," he explained, speaking rapidly as he held up his phone to show the stopwatch "We-We-We can't g-get down in that amount of time."

Noriko opened her mouth to respond, to tell him the plan for how they were going to get out of this alive, but nothing came out. It was like after the past three days, the past _year,_ she was all out of ideas.

For a few precious seconds it was quiet.

Then Peter reached out and grabbed her hand; Noriko allowing him to pull her to the side of the room farthest from the elevator and to one of the large windows that looked out onto the city.

"Okay," Peter said, taking in their surrounding landscape "Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. We have to jump."

Despite his casual delivery and shrug that accompanied it, Noriko's eyes managed to widen even further as he dragged her back a few feet from the window.

"Can you make it to the next building?" She demanded, Peter shrugging and laughing semi-hysterically.

"Guess we're going to find out!"

Before Noriko could say anything more, Peter wrapped his uninjured arm around her tightly and ran forward; the pair bursting through the glass as both realized just how far away the closest building was.

Hard gravel seemed to materialize under Noriko's back and she coughed at the way the rough landing had completely knocked the wind out of her. But, she'd made it to the adjacent roof, and based on the way the fingers around hers curled tighter, she had to assume they both did, even if her body didn't want to look over to check just yet.

Then, heat.

Both teenagers jumped and curled up into each other as the deafening sound of the building (which was far too close for comfort now) forced its way into their ears as it collapsed down into the ground. Only after they were both certain that it had finished and that debris wouldn't be flying into their faces, they sat up and saw the total destruction of Midland Circle.

But, rather than take it all in, the two teenagers both found their attentions diverting to each other. They both studied the other one without really understanding why; Peter drinking in the sight of Noriko's split lip and her bruised and bloody knuckles while Noriko observed the way Peter's hair color was changing as ash began to settle in it and how the left arm of jacket was considerably wet with familiar red substance.

And then, as suddenly as they'd landed on the rooftop or as the heat from the explosion had hit them, they were kissing.

But, it wasn't like the three kisses they'd shared prior. This wasn't a quick peck or a sweet kiss shared between two teenagers who'd just made it official, this was a kiss that had something behind it that neither of them had ever experienced before. The pain of her busted lip being pressed harshly against Peter's didn't even register in Noriko's mind, in the same way Peter didn't notice the way his arm protested to being wrapped around Noriko's waist.

Noriko ran her hands through Peter's hair and pulled slightly (something she'd never done before) while Peter ran his hands over Noriko's form and pulled her closer until she was practically sitting on his lap (something he'd never done before), before Peter fell back onto the ground with Noriko on top of him (something both of them had never done before).

But, before their newly discovered instincts could continue, Peter hissed at the pain of a blunt object poking into his stomach. The two teenagers pulled back and, as they both caught their breath, Peter spoke.

"What's in your pocket, Luna?"

Noriko's brow furrowed as she tried to think of what _was_ in the front pocket of her borrowed hoodie. She reached into it and pulled out the object that had jabbed Peter; the object that, through her concentration on finding Peter and then getting out of the building, had gone unnoticed.

Matt's Billy Club.


	7. War Ready

The soft whirr of the fan was the only sound in the room outside of gentle breathing from the still form in bed. Despite the fact that it was October, New York had decided to put its residents through 90 degree weather, meaning that all forms of cooling down at night had become the norm for the small apartment in Hell's Kitchen. That meant wearing just a sports bra and boxers and barely laying under light covers was the current status of the sleeping girl. With her cheek pressed to the pillow and her expression relaxed, she was a picture of perfect slumber.

But, not for long.

It was unclear if the soft squeak had awoken her or had simply alerted her to the fact that her something was off, but it didn't matter. Faster than one would expect, she whipped around and grabbed ahold of the person who was one foot in her bedroom and one foot on her fire escape. The young woman pinned the intruder underneath her on the bed; not slowing down in the slightest even though she'd been asleep not two seconds earlier.

"Hey, Luna," Spider-Man said breathlessly.

For a moment it was quiet as Noriko processed what she was seeing, but once her heartrate started to decline she took a deep, calming breath and slid off of him, rolling her eyes as she did. Peter sat up, seemingly unperturbed by the outcome of his break-in, and he reached up to pull off his mask; revealing his messy hair and soft brown eyes.

"What're you doing here?" Noriko whispered, thoughtful of the other people in the apartment.

"Wanted to see you," Peter replied quietly but casually, his girlfriend rolling her eyes yet again but her form relaxing; her body finally recognizing that was going on right now was in no way a threat and letting her settle in.

"It's one in the morning," she pointed out, Peter shrugging as if that was no big deal.

"I was patrolling and I missed you."

Noriko's eyes darted down to her hands and Peter winced as he realized how loaded that statement had unintentionally been. He hadn't meant it in the way Noriko may have taken it. He hadn't even realized the implications of his words until he said them.

"I-I haven't seen you in a while." Peter wincing again; that was even worse "Just-Just in general."

Noriko hummed in recognition of his words but it was clear that his fumbling attempts to rectify his mistake hadn't worked. Finally, Peter just gave up on being subtle, and reached out to take her hand in his.

"Hey," he murmured, finally getting Noriko's eyes on his again "I-I didn't mean it like that. I just…"

"I know what you meant," Noriko replied softly, still downcast despite her words.

"There's nothing wrong with taking a break, Luna," Peter said, Noriko's lips curving slightly into a self-deprecating smile "You definitely deserve one."

"You were a part of too," she pointed out "And you were able to pick up being Spider-Man right after."

"That's not the same and you know it," Peter replied, sending Noriko a look "I was only there for some of it, I wasn't really in any of the fights, I don't have a connection to the Hand the way you do, and I didn't..."

The last point went unsaid and Noriko's small smirk pulled into a full-fledged self-loathing grin. That soon slipped off her features, though, and for a moment it was quiet as neither of them knew how to continue this conversation without causing them both pain. Peter finally just steeled himself to the hurt he knew would wash over him once he acknowledged this out loud and he spoke with a low, genuine voice.

"I know how you feel."

"You do?" Noriko asked, obviously forcing herself to be casual.

"You know I do," Peter said simply, Noriko's eyes darting up to look at him before they went back to her hands "I told you, remember?"

"… Yeah," Noriko replied after a moment, her voice rougher now "I do."

Peter sighed and caught her chin so he could turn her head to face him. When Noriko looked everywhere around the room other than him, he murmured her name gently to get her attention and, in doing so, finally got to see how glassy her eyes were.

"I know how much this _sucks,"_ Peter said, his words heartbreakingly genuine "I think I know how bad you feel right now, because I… I remember how awful I felt. And, I really wish there was something I could do to just… make it all go away. But, I know there isn't, so I just want you to know that I'm-I'm here, okay? I'm not going anywhere."

"Promise?" Noriko asked before she could stop herself from that childish request.

"Promise."

As if Peter's genuine response had broken some wall, Noriko spoke the thoughts that had been weighing on her mind for the past week.

"I shouldn't have left him there, if I'd just stayed maybe—."

"Hey, don't," Peter interrupted, letting go of Noriko's chin to grab her arms and pull her closer "You know you couldn't have changed anything. If-If you'd stayed, you would've just been there when the bomb went off too."

It was quiet for a moment before Noriko relaxed against Peter, with her head on his shoulders and her arms wrapping around his waist. Neither of them said anything for a little while as they embraced; Peter running his fingers through her hair as she curled more and more into him.

"Can you stay the night?" Peter's mind stuttered for a moment at Noriko's unexpected request.

"Y-Yeah, sure, I-I can stay," he said, his voice cracking despite the fact he knew that there was nothing to be awkward about; she just needed his moral support tonight "I, um, need to…"

He pulled out his phone and Noriko watched as he sent a quick text to May that explained that he would be staying the night at the Temple's apartment, and the teenage girl couldn't help but smile as she took in the proof of the improving relationship between Spider-Man and his aunt. There had been a serious decline in many things for those who had been involved with Midland Circle, but Peter and May had been one of the few exceptions.

Peter locked his phone and set it down on the bedside table before he wrapped his arms around her again. But, before they could wind down enough to start drifting off, Noriko pulled back; she knew that falling asleep in this position would not be good for them tomorrow morning and she didn't want this to be soured by a sore neck. But, before she could readjust, she paused and frowned.

"Are you comfortable in this?" Noriko asked, gently poking at the red and blue material she'd been laying against just moments ago "Want to take it off?"

It took Noriko seeing Peter's red face for her to realize the implication of her words and she felt a little bit sheepish when she spoke again.

"I didn't mean it like-."

"No, no, I know, I'm just being-." Peter shook his head at himself and he reached up to hit the spider over his chest; the material going lose before he pulled it off and kicked it onto the floor.

Now that there were no more distractions, the pair readjusted to lying on the bed correctly with Peter flat on his back and Noriko against his bare chest. The young woman smiled slightly at the way she could hear his heart thumping faster than usual, but she didn't comment on it and instead just reached out to wrap her arms around him. But, as she reached, her fingers grazed a spot on his arm where the skin caught against her finger tips.

"It scarred," she observed out loud due to surprise. None of Peter's other cuts had ever resulted in a permanent mark on his skin.

"It was pretty deep," Peter said with a shrug before he reached out and ran his fingertips against one of the many lines on Noriko's skin "We match."

It wasn't too far off. Their scars were in similar positions on their arms and were about the same in size, it was possible they had even come from the same blade. Despite the morbidity of it all, Noriko couldn't help but smile as she cuddled against Peter even more; her eyes slowly shutting as she considered the truth of the matter. They were both messed up kids, but at least they were messed up together.

.

"It's over."

Noriko had recently lived a hellish few days filled with ninjas, resurrected enemies, and superpowers and yet those two simple words were the most unbelievable thing she'd heard in the past two weeks. She was certain that Foggy had come to their apartment to say that they were all soon to be arrested for terrorism, but instead he was sending them all a small smile as he revealed that it was being treated like it never even happened.

It was clear that Noriko wasn't the only one in shock at this news, as Claire and Luke both took deep breaths and the odd group of three exchanged looks that conveyed how they couldn't quite process what they were hearing.

"Hogarth, Benowitz, and Chao at your service," Foggy said simply, knowing how good this news must feel to the people he was talking to but still delivering the same old lines "I hope you'll think of us for all your legal needs."

"Let's hope we don't have any more legal needs," Claire said, Noriko unable to stop herself from snorting and giving a deadpanned response.

"Not likely."

"Mr. Nelson…" Luke started, his genuine tone already causing a pit to grow in Noriko's stomach "I'm sorry for your loss."

For a moment it was quiet as the elephant in the room was finally acknowledged, but Foggy collected himself and responded with far more grace than Noriko could have in his position.

"Thank you. It's… all of our losses."

But, it was clear that his cool exterior was beginning to crack and, with that, Foggy gathered up his things and headed towards the door with only a quick murmur to serve as a goodbye. But, before he was gone too far, Noriko sent a quick look to the two other adults at the table as she hopped up and followed after him.

"Foggy," she called, the man in question pausing in the doorway and turning to look at her "I… I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Foggy replied simply, the same rueful smile on his lips "You might've been there with him, but… I helped him get there."

"He was always going to get to Midland Circle, you know that," Noriko replied softly, her eyes dropping to the ground before she spoke the next sentence "But I should've made sure that he got away."

"How about we agree to disagree and just blame ourselves?" Foggy asked, Noriko's lips pulling into a rueful smile.

"That's probably the only way we'll ever be able to end this conversation, so yeah," she agreed, Foggy matching her melancholy expression with one of his own. For a moment, it was quiet, but before Foggy could make any move to leave, Noriko took a few steps forward and pulled him into one of her rarely given hugs.

"Don't stay away," she murmured softly before the pair pulled away, Foggy smiling in a way that never reached his eyes.

"Of course not."

Foggy gave her one last look and took a step to leave before he suddenly stopped and turned back to face her.

"Oh, I forgot," he said, holding his briefcase at a funny angle so he could open it "I was, uh, cleaning out his apartment and I found this."

Noriko took the package wrapped in brown paper and cord from Foggy with a frown on her face as she tried to figure out why he was giving this to her.

"What is it?" She asked, Foggy's eyebrows raising before he went back to his briefcase and pulling out something white.

"I don't know," he answered before passing her an envelope with her name on the back "This was attached to it, though."

.

 _Noriko_

 _If you're reading this, something has probably happened to me. I made myself write—well, dictate— this just in case something did before I had a chance to give this to you. I have a whole speech planned out, you know. But if you have this letter then you probably will never get to hear it. There are so many things I want to tell you that I think will only truly work in person, but I'm going to try here._

 _First, before anything else, I want you to know how proud I am of you. It's something I don't think I'll ever be able to fully explain, even if I told you in person, but it's true. When I think of the woman you are now, I can hardly believe that you are the same person as the girl I met in that warehouse. You have adapted to the world around you in a way I wouldn't have predicted when I first became aware of who you are; I thought you would always stay that child locked in the dark one way or another. But you haven't. You have grown beyond the roles anyone has pinned you as. You are neither victim nor predator. Despite everything people said about you, you have become a protector. You are a champion of the people of New York._

 _That's the second thing I want to tell you: thank you. Thank you for taking care of the city I love when I couldn't. I know you didn't do it for me, of course; I know you do it because you feel like you have to. Just like I did. But when the world became too much for me, I had to let it go. I had to give up the one thing that might actually be the most important. But you don't have to. I will always be there to help you keep being Hell's Kitchen's protector. While I will respect whatever choice you make when it comes to your nightly work even if that means quitting, I know better. I heard it in you, Noriko. I heard the way the city is in your bones and the way the fire burns in your chest._

 _You know, growing up when people used to talk about my dad and I, they all said the same thing: "Be careful of the Murdocks. They got the devil in them." I've felt that in you, Noriko. I would never try to erase Claire from who you are, but I truly believe that you are as much of a Murdock as I am. But, maybe that's just my emotions clouding my judgement a little bit, because I love you. I won't say that you are the closest thing I'll ever have to a daughter, because you are my daughter, Noriko. I never knew that love like this could exist until the day I realized that I felt it for you. I love you. I will never be able to tell you that enough. I love you. I love you. I love you. And even though I want to protect you from every horrible part of this world, one of the reasons I love you is that you want to face it head on. I want to help you do that._

 _I went and ordered this the day I first confronted you about what you were doing, do you remember that? I was originally going to do everything I could to stop you and make you quit, but when I found you, I heard the way you talked that man down. I realized then that you weren't just doing it because you wanted to hurt people, but because you wanted to help them. I want to make sure you can keep doing that, so here. The measurements might be a little off, but I'll give you the address of my guy; I know you'll exercise the necessary discretion._

 _I know I have no right to ask anything of you or even a reason to worry about this, but I have to for my own peace of mind. Protect this city. I know how this life—this world—can drag you down and make you feel like there is no use in what you do, but there is. Never give up on New York, because even if you don't realize it, Hell's Kitchen will always be there for you. No matter what you do, it will always be your home. Don't let anyone or anything take away who you are. You are Noriko Temple. You are the Black Sky. You are a defender._

 _Love,_

 _Matthew Murdock._

That horrible feeling burned behind her eyes and sinuses, but she didn't break. That pent up heat remained inside while her fingers undid the shoddy cord and pulled the paper away to reveal the package's contents, although she already suspected what she would find inside. It wasn't until her fingers enclosed around that dark cloth that alternated from supple to unforgiving and she lifted it out of the wrappings did she finally react.

Heavy tears fell from Noriko's eyes as she took in the physical testament of Matt's respect for who she was—his love for her— and she couldn't help but bury her face in the material as she cried.

.

The apartment had been quiet since Foggy left. Maybe it was out of relief that they wouldn't be going to prison, or maybe because all three of the inhabitants were still bone tired from the events that had occurred over a week ago. Either way, the only sounds that had broken that silence were just normal life things, like the low murmurs of the television as Luke watched any mindless show to keeps his mind off of the past few years, or the soft rush of water as Claire washed the three bowls that had previously held straight-from-the-can soup.

Although they were never very loud people, the absence of Noriko's usual noise had not gone unnoticed by Claire. Even when she'd first moved in, she hadn't been this quiet. This still. But, now she mostly kept to her room and her plants when she wasn't at school; her tiny solace in this big city.

Claire understood. Loss did funny things to people and as long as this reserve didn't last for too long, she wasn't too worried. Besides, Noriko deserved this time off. After everything she'd given to this city, she ought to have some time for herself. Some time to recuperate and focus on getting better after everything life had thrown at her. It was about Noriko healing right now.

Claire sighed and dropped one of the bowls down into the sink.

That was all a fucking lie.

She _should_ be concerned about Noriko's current attitude. She was showcasing classic signs of depression—the pessimism, the fact she was eating only when Claire told her to, her disinterest in certain nighttime activities that had once been her main focus— and if she wasn't careful, it might extend outside of the regular mourning period. This might be a serious issue that Noriko would need to see actual doctors to deal with. But Claire… Claire couldn't help but be selfish.

Having Noriko sit between her and Luke every night, watching whatever shitty show they put on, was something Claire couldn't help but cling onto. Or, more truthfully, having her _here_ was something she couldn't bear to give up. Not after looking at those smoldering ruins without Noriko standing next to her. Not after thinking—.

 _She got out. Noriko and Peter got out. They just had to a different way than the rest of us._

Claire put the last dish on the rack to dry and she turned the water off; the woman so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear the approaching footsteps. But, to be honest, it was very possible that she wouldn't have heard them even if she was listening.

"Claire?"

The woman turned, now quite used to being snuck up on, and a horrible feeling settled into her stomach as she took in the girl who stood opposite. For a moment it was quiet, then Claire gave a soft, unamused snort before she spoke.

"Matt."

"Yeah," Noriko confirmed, her eyes trailing to the countertop.

"So, I take it you're going out tonight," Claire said, turning to grab a towel and start to dry the bowls instead of looking Noriko in the eyes and revealing her true emotions.

"Yeah," Noriko repeated, her voice still too soft to truly disrupt the stillness.

"Okay," Claire said simply and it was truly quiet for a minute. In fact, Claire fully believed that Noriko had turned and left until the young woman spoke again.

"I want to tell you something."

Claire turned back to her and frowned at the look of utmost concentration of Noriko's face. Whatever it was, she was clearly digging deep for the words she was going to say; they were coming from a place inside her that she rarely ventured.

"I just…" She murmured before sighing and gently kicking one of the cupboards shut "Wanted to tell you that I love you."

"I love you too," Claire replied softly, an automatic response even though this situation was one that rarely occurred "Is that all?"

Noriko shook her head, still refusing to meet Claire's eyes, as she continued to search for the words that would illustrate the feelings pent up inside of her. Claire once again found herself wishing she could just read her mind and take the burden off of her shoulders. Finally, she just took a deep breath and spoke slowly while looking at Claire through her eyelashes.

"And that you are my mother."

For a moment, it was quiet but instead of just waiting through the uncomfortable silence, Noriko pushed on.

"I just realized that I'd never told you that and I wanted to say something in case anything ever—."

Before she could finish her slightly rambling sentence, she was cut off by warm arms wrapping around her and a kiss pressed against the side of her head.

"You're my daughter." Was all Claire whispered, but it was done with such ferocity that nothing else needed to be said. Noriko returned that embrace and for a long moment they just stood there. When they pulled back, both made a mutual, wordless agreement to not comment on the other's shining eyes and Claire wore a wry smile as she reached out to place her hand on Noriko's cheek.

"Go save New York."

.

 _"I just wanted to let you know that I'm really proud of you and—and—."_

 _"You're a lot stronger than me, you know; I wouldn't be able—able—."_

 _"Maybe after we go out patrolling tonight we could go somewhere private and talk about the fact that we nearly ate each other's faces off on that rooftop, because that was very unlike me and I can't stop thinking about how we almost—."_

Peter reached up and tore off his mask; the teenager sighing deeply as he ran his hands over his face. All day, all he could think about was what he was going to say when he saw Noriko again. Well, not exactly Noriko. He'd seen Noriko a couple of times in between now and the events at Midland Circle, it was the other part of her that had not made an appearance.

He'd been telling the truth when he said she deserved the break she was taking, but he couldn't help but miss her. Ever since they'd made up after that fight he liked to pretend never happened, he'd been spoiled. Every night he'd gone out as Spider-Man, Noriko had been right there beside him; fighting the good fight and being much touchier than they'd ever been before. He missed that. He understood she needed to heal, he really did, but a selfish part of him wanted her out here again.

And it seemed that he was getting that.

It had been such a simple text, just asking him if he wanted to meet up, but it had sent his heart soaring. It wouldn't be back to normal right away, how could it be? But it was a start. He was going to have Luna back.

Except…

Peter sighed again and ran his fingers through his hair as he considered the other issue, the one neither of them had brought up.

That moment on the rooftop.

A part of him offered a logical take on it; of _course_ they'd reacted to the very near death experience they'd just had. They watched the building they'd been in moments before explode; it was natural to have some sort of response. They had been worried about both their own lives and the wellbeing of the other and physical connections like that were often the animalistic parts of the brain's way of ensuring the other is okay and, in a way, establishing the fact that we ourselves are alive.

But, the rest of Peter's brain had another take on the issue:

 _WHAT THE HELL?_

Seriously, _what the hell?_ Don't get him wrong, he recognized that intimacy was just a normal part of life and was the next step in their relationship if they went by the usual progression. But, that wasn't something he'd ever really thought about when it came to Noriko. Of course, Noriko was beautiful, he'd known that before he'd ever seen what was behind the mask, and she felt nice when she was pressed up against him, her form was much more solid than she looked and something about that was comforting, and kissing her always sent shockwaves through him, and the way she'd run her hands through his hair, and how she'd felt on top of him, and how—.

Peter slapped himself in the face to get himself to stop reliving those moments spent on the rooftop. He was going to make it weird if he wasn't careful and he didn't want Noriko's return to be poisoned by his inability to keep it together. Just ignore it, he decided; that was the best way to deal with this. Just pretend like nothing was weird.

"What're you overthinking now?"

Peter felt a smile pull at his lips at the teasing voice that came from behind him. The soft tingle at the back of his neck had alerted him enough to the new arrival and he wasn't surprised by the voice as he might've been.

"Hey, Lu—."

Even with the mask, Peter could tell that Noriko's lips were pulling into a grin at his sudden silence. Although, she probably thought it was all out of surprise, and not the fact his mind was blaring one thought at him:

 _Can't just ignore it!_

"I take it you like the new look," Noriko observed, Peter nodding mutely and making her chuckle. She pushed off of the ledge she had been leaning on and closed the space between her and Peter, allowing the latter to get a good look at what she was wearing. It was all black and fitted to her body, but not too fitted; it rode the line on being categorized as bulky. It looked comfortable and like it was probably warm. Made with what looked like a tensile fabric in the joints and other movement areas and body armor everywhere else. Like her old outfit, she had a fabric mask and a hood, but everything was uniform, in a way. She hadn't cobbled this together. This was professional. This was…

 _Daredevil._

This looked like Daredevil's suit, which meant that…

"Foggy found this in Matt's apartment," Noriko said softly, confirming Peter's suspicions "He was going to give it to me as a gift."

"W-Well it-it looks _great,"_ Peter said, shutting his eyes in frustration with himself once those words left his mouth. But, light laughter reached his ears and he opened his eyes to find Noriko looking at him with sweet amusement on her features.

"Thanks," she said "Feels pretty good too. Not sure how a blind guy could've guessed my size so well, but he did."

"Well," Peter said, rubbing the back of his neck with a wry smile "He was a pretty special blind guy."

"Yeah," Noriko agreed softly "Yeah, he was."

For a moment it was quiet between the two as Peter thought of all the things he wanted to say, all of the things he'd been trying to prepare for before she arrived, but it all came up short. None of it seemed right.

 _"Give me your wallet."_

Peter and Noriko exchanged a look of disbelief before they both leaned and looked over the side of the building and into the alley.

"What're the chances?" Peter wondered out loud before he pulled on his mask, Noriko's hand on his chest stopping him from making his next move.

"I got this one."

Peter watched with a growing smile as Noriko hopped over the edge and, with a few pauses on fire escapes, landed in between the assailant and the frightened woman who looked like she really couldn't spare the cash. Even a small chuckle left his lips as he took in the look of disbelief that morphed into horror on the face of the would-be mugger as he realized exactly who had appeared before him.

It was a quick and easy takedown, nothing like what Noriko had to deal with a week ago, and as she helped the woman stand and handed her back her purse, Peter lowered down on a web beside them; taking in the whole world in an inverted view.

"Showoff," Noriko said once the woman had walked away and she fully took in Peter's position.

"You're one to talk," he replied, nodding at the man out cold on the ground "What was that? Fifteen seconds?"

"Fourteen," Noriko teased, making Peter snort. But before he could hop down and stand upright—all of his blood was kind of rushing to his head right now—Noriko's eyes softened and she took a few steps forward; the young woman reaching up to pull down her mask and fully reveal her face to him. Peter opened his mouth to ask her what she was doing, but that question died in his throat when she rolled down his mask just enough so she could gently press her lips to his.

And it didn't matter that the angle was bad and that made it kind of unimpressive, because it was a _kiss._ Noriko was kissing him and it wasn't like the quick pecks they'd shared or what had happened on the rooftop, it was a feeling all its own. And in that moment, something clicked inside of Peter's head.

The reason Noriko used to hesitate about kissing him before wasn't because she didn't want to, it was because she was _afraid._

It had occurred to him idly over the past week that the man who had attacked him in Midland Circle—Murakami, Noriko said—had recognized him. He'd known that Noriko and him were in a relationship; that's why he'd come to the apartment building in the first place, to use him as leverage against her. But, it didn't seem like they knew who he also was. They just saw him as the boy that Noriko was interested in, nothing more.

Noriko knew that they'd do that. She'd _always_ known that the Hand would try to use him against her, so she kept her distance when they were Spider-Man and the Black Sky. She didn't want the Hand figuring out who he was and using that to hurt him.

How much of what she did was to protect him from the Hand? How much of what she did was effected by the knowledge that every step she took was watched by that organization?

But, Peter supposed, it didn't matter now; there was nothing to be afraid of anymore. The shadow that had been looming over her was gone. She was finally free to do whatever she liked without worrying about what the Hand would do to her and the people she cared about. And, apparently, she was using this newfound freedom to kiss Peter, _Spider-Man,_ right out in the open.

And even though it was just a kiss, something settled inside Peter. He wasn't worried about the whole thing that had happened after Midland Circle anymore, because… well, Noriko was in the same position as he was. It wasn't like she had a better grasp on this stuff than he did. In fact, it was probably worse for her; she'd been isolated up until a year ago. Besides, it had always been natural when he was with her, so when the time came, it wouldn't be bad; it wasn't anything to worry about. Just focus on him and Noriko now, nothing else. Think about nothing e—.

"How did I know that was going to happen?" Noriko asked and he smiled despite his fluster; he probably should've been focused on him, Noriko, _and_ his hands gripping onto his web. But, Noriko's smile was one that Peter had to admit was falling somewhere around adoring, so he wasn't took embarrassed.

"Because I'm always like this?" Peter offered, Noriko snorting as she set him upright on his feet "Thank you for catching me."

"That's what I'm here for," Noriko replied airily, Peter smiling at her words despite her casual nature. But, as sudden as it appeared, it disappeared in favor of something much more serious "Taiyou… I wish we could spend this night like we always do, but… I need to do something. Could you give me a lift?"

Even though he should feel disappointment that there was an ulterior motive to her coming out tonight, all Peter felt was happiness that he was seeing her at all. So, when he responded, it was open and completely truthful; probably more honest than he'd ever admit.

"Whatever you want."

.

A lone figure stood on the edge of the building. Unlike many others who had before him, his intentions were not self-destructive or even idle. His eyes darted around the city below him as he searched for what he knew was there. What was always plaguing the streets of New York City.

But he wasn't just looking for it. He had a purpose. One that weighed heavily on his shoulders, but it was one he had to bear. If it meant protecting the people around him, then he would continue to shoulder this burden alone. He had to.

"You know, you are not the pouty vigilante I was looking forward to seeing tonight."

The glowing fist swung around to land what would be a devastating hit on the nose of the person that had startled him, but it was stopped before it could connect. Even without being able to see much more than what his fist illuminated, Danny immediately knew who he was dealing with.

"Noriko?" He demanded, the girl in the mask dropping his fist before she drained away his chi like the last time and giving him what seemed to be a smile.

"When I'm dressed like this, I'm the Black Sky," she said simply, Danny rolling his eyes and turning away from her to face the city again "So, I take it you're in the 'I'm a lone wolf who doesn't need anyone' stage of vigilantism."

"Leave me alone, Noriko; there's plenty of room in New York for us to never cross paths," Danny replied, crossing his arms as he continued to look out at the buildings, like he'd be able to see crime as it occurred.

"Oh, please," Noriko said, moving forward to stand next to Danny "My job is to protect the city and that means making sure no one is causing harm. Even if that person has good intentions."

"You think I'm going to _hurt_ people?" Danny demanded, his temper getting the better of him as he turned to face her "After everything we've been through together?"

"Danny, you were born a member of the 1% and then were raised by monks on mountaintop, what do you know about the needs of New York?" Noriko replied, heating up at the fact Danny thought he knew what was best "I worked for months as a waitress in Harlem before I became the Black Sky and I learned it's not as easy as beating people up who break the law. There are so many things that need to be taken into account when you do this like socio-economics, systemic racism, and the cycle of abuse and I know for a fact that you don't know anything about those things. You don't know _anything_ about _anything!_ "

"So, what, you've come here to threaten me?" Danny asked, doing his best to loom over the girl who had already proven her ability to kick his ass "To stop me from trying to help people?"

"No," Noriko said before taking a breath and calming herself down "No. I'm not here to do anything like that. I want to help you, Danny."

Noriko sighed as she listened to the hotheaded man scoff and turn away from her yet again; this time hopping up on the ledge of the building in what seemed like an attempt at a dismissal.

"I don't need your help," he muttered, Noriko rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, you do," she replied, joining him on the edge but not looking at him "Do you even know your way around the city?"

Silence was the answer she was expecting and she let it sit for a minute, if only to make her point all the more poignant.

"Danny, I'm not trying to baby you, okay? Everybody needs help sometimes. Everybody can have trouble discerning what's right when the world does its best to make it as muddled as possible," Noriko said gently before she continued, her words personal now "You know that video of me? The one where I beat up those cops?"

"Of course," Danny replied, his voice still sullen "Everyone's seen that."

"Yeah, well, in another life, maybe I would've just shrugged my shoulders and let it happen. Maybe I would've just let those cops shoot that guy, even though he hadn't done anything that warranted it. If I hadn't been willing to learn from Luke and the people of Harlem, maybe that would've happened."

For a moment, it was quiet as the words Noriko had so genuinely spoke sunk in for Danny. Although it was clear he was thinking deeply, Noriko had difficulty getting a grasp on exactly what conclusion he was coming to until he spoke.

"This doesn't mean I like it," he started, Noriko unable to stop herself from smiling.

"Hey, me neither," she said, shrugging "I'd much rather spend my time beating up bad guys alone with Peter."

"Peter?" Danny said, confusion taking over his expression "Like your boyfriend? What does he have to do with—?"

"Hi."

Danny jumped nearly a foot in the air, but Noriko grabbed his arms to keep him from hurtling over the side of the building. For a moment, it was quiet as the two teens let him get a grasp on what exactly he was seeing. Finally, Peter reached up and pulled off his mask to reveal his slightly sheepish expression.

"I-I'm Peter," he introduced, sticking his hand out towards Danny "I'm Spider-Man."

"That makes sense, I guess," Danny said after a moment, shaking Peter's hand "Oh, Colleen told me to tell you that the Dojo's doors are always open for you."

"Thanks," Peter said with a tone and smile that implied that information surprised him.

"I thought I was the one who was supposed to come out of that ordeal with super friends," Noriko said casually, harkening back to Luke's words in Midland Circle.

"I think you did," Peter replied, looking at the two people that stood beside him "I mean, the Black Sky, the Iron Fist, and Spider-Man are all working together now."

"What about Luke?" Danny asked, grabbing Noriko's attention "Doesn't he live with you?"

"Yeah," Noriko confirmed before she continued "I bet he gets sick of sitting on the couch within the next few weeks, though."

"So, the Black Sky, the Iron Fist, Spider-Man, and probably Luke Cage," Peter said before smiling slightly at Noriko "I won't compare it to the group that we're all thinking of because I know it'll upset you."

"If only there was a way to profit off of this like they do."

.

Noriko rubbed her eyes after she set the used dishes down into the sink for the dishwasher to handle. As big of a game she talked last night, all of that time spent out had really taken its toll on her; her sleep schedule wasn't used to going out at night anymore and she would need to work to get it back to normal. But, she powered through it for the sake of the diner customers and the fact that she was pretty certain she paid majority of the rent at this point.

She craned her neck to check the clock and smiled slightly as it revealed what she already suspected; as soon as this last couple left, she'd be able to go home. Thoughts of her bed clouded her mind and she had to force herself to focus on the job at hand. Besides, it was her favorite part; the customers had finally left and she was able to scoop up her tip.

The soft jingle of the bell over the door barely even registered in the mind of the girl who already thought of herself as off the job, but out of habit she gave the normal greeting without looking up.

"Hi, sit wherever you'd like."

"Yeah, no thanks."

Noriko's head snapped up and she found herself face to face with a woman she had not seen since that last, wordless look at the Harlem precinct.

"Jessica."

Jessica Jones gave her a pained smile and shuffled in a way that let Noriko know she felt just as uncomfortable and out of place in the current situation as she seemed to be. Noriko shoved the money she'd been subtly counting into her pocket and took the few steps to close most of the space between them.

"I take it you aren't interested in eating," Noriko said in an attempt at being casual, Jessica responding with a small snort.

"You serve whiskey?"

"Dry establishment," Noriko replied apologetically, Jessica grimacing at the thought before she spoke.

"Yeah, I'll pass. I just came by to talk to you."

"What's up?" Noriko asked, normally quick witted woman opening and then shutting her mouth; an expression on her face that let Noriko know that whatever it was, words weren't good enough. Finally, she just held out the manila envelope that had been under her arm to Noriko, who took it with a confused frown on her face.

"What is it?" she asked, already starting to undo the closure.

"It's you."

.

.

.

The weather had taken a sudden dip, as if Hell's Kitchen realized that it shouldn't be in the 90s in October. Because of this lower temperature, early morning frost had gathered on the grass and made it so any steps across it crunched slightly. But, right now, it was quiet. She had already made her trek from the road where the cab had dropped her off to the plot that she had no real way of knowing the location, but found easily just the same. She hadn't told anyone where she was going. In fact, she'd left so early that everyone in her apartment was still asleep, although that wasn't on purpose.

She'd been up all night and only an hour ago had she finally finished reading the documents that Jessica had supplied her with. Only after she'd read every word on every piece of paper did she venture out into the world, one that greeted her with sharp air and grey skies. But, she hadn't come straight here; the evidence of that being in the two cups she held filled with some unknown, but steaming liquid.

With what seemed to be no prompt, she raised one hand and held the cup out without looking up from the gravestone that held her attention.

"Abrielle's," Noriko said simply as the cup was taken out of her hand and raised to the lips of the newcomer.

"Thank you," she replied and, for the first time since she'd laid eyes on the grey slab of rock in front of her, Noriko looked away and her eyes found the woman who stood beside her.

Elektra smiled.

"Tsukiko Nakahara," she said simply before turning her eyes back to the grave "Beautiful name."

"Yeah, it is," Noriko agreed, Elektra noticing how wistfulness was sneaking its way into her voice.

"Will you take it?" She asked, even though she already knew the answer.

"No," Noriko replied promptly, as if she had already considered this question "I'm not her. She is dead and I am not."

"What about Mr. and Mrs. Nakahara?" Elektra asked, taking a sip of her coffee as she waited for the story that she knew without ever having heard it.

"Died trying to protect Tsukiko from home invaders. I think they're buried somewhere nearby; they didn't find the body of the seven year old girl identified as Tsukiko until after the plots next to her parents were filled," Noriko said before a pained smile pulled at her lips "The police were baffled by the amount of fire arms the Nakaharas had in their apartment."

"They knew what was coming for them," Elektra observed out loud, thoughtful now as she looked at the bolded name with new eyes.

"That's why they came here," Noriko said, holding her arms out to gesture to what surrounded them "Maybe they thought that the people that were after them didn't have the reach in the states… Maybe they thought that this type of thing could never happen in New York City."

"Anything can happen in New York," Elektra replied evenly, her eyes lifting to look out at the skyline of the city just waking up "And it wouldn't even be the first time."

"Even if it crumbled into the ground," Noriko said, looking over to exchange a bitter look with the woman next to her "I have to ask."

"I have no intentions of causing anymore chaos in your precious city," Elektra said with no real sting behind her words "In fact, I might settle down. Start a fashion line, maybe."

The snort those words garnered only made Elektra's lips curl upwards, but that amusement disappeared at Noriko's next words.

"I'm just making sure you're not going to try to pull any excavations."

Noriko looked over to see how Elektra shook her head slightly as she started to walk away. The young woman frowned in confusion as she tried to figure out why her words had angered her; they didn't seem any different from anything else that they had said in the past ten minutes.

"Elektra," Noriko called, the woman in question swinging around with a hysterical smile that was a harbinger of the half-crazed words that left her mouth.

"I know you feel it as I do," Elektra said, impassioned as she swung her arm out towards the skyline she'd just been studying "Those people that you are so _desperate_ to protect? They're as dead as Tsukiko Nakahara. They just don't know it."

Noriko looked out towards the city that Elektra referred to. The same one she'd lived in longer than she could remember; the same one she walked every day; the same one she had been begged to protect. She had bled for this city time and time again. She was more than willing to lay her life down for it at any moment.

But, as she looked out at the city that had been her father's true love, her mother's infuriation, and would always be her home, her body wasn't filled with the emotions that usually entered her veins at the sight. There was no pride, or protectiveness, or even love. What had taken their place was the same feeling that had settled in her stomach when the tremors had shaken New York to its core only two weeks ago.

So, when Noriko turned back to Elektra, she spoke honestly.

"I think they will."


End file.
